United States Postal Service

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United States Postal Service ( USPS ; also known as Post Office , US Email , or Postal Service ) is an independent body of the United States federal government that is responsible for providing postal services in the United States, including the narrow territory and its associated states. This is one of several government agencies that is expressly authorized by the United States Constitution.

The U.S. Mail traced its roots to 1775 during the Second Continental Congress, when Benjamin Franklin was appointed first post-general. The Post Office Department was established in 1792 from the Franklin operation, was appointed to the cabinet-level department in 1872, and was changed in 1971 to the US Postal Service as an independent institution.

USPS per February 2015 has 617,254 active employees and operates 211,264 vehicles by 2014. USPS is the world's largest civil-vehicle fleet operator. USPS is legally obliged to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at a uniform price and quality. USPS still has exclusive access to mailboxes marked "U.S. Mail" and private mail in the United States, but now have to compete with private package delivery services, such as United Parcel Service and FedEx.

Since the early 1980s, many of the direct tax subsidies to the Post Office (with the exception of subsidies for expenses related to persons with disabilities and overseas voters) have been reduced or eliminated for indirect subsidies, in addition to gains associated with government-imposed monopolies on mail delivery first class. Since the highest peak letter volume in 2006, after Congress passed the Accountability and Improvement Act (which mandated $ 5.5 billion per year to be paid into accounts to fully utilize employee retirement benefits, requirements that exceed government and other private organizations), revenue declined sharply because of the declining volume of letters affected by the recession, pushing the postal service to find other sources of income while cutting costs to reduce its budget deficit.

Video United States Postal Service

History

Foundation

In the early years of the North American colony, much effort was made to start the postal service. These early efforts are small and usually involve colonies, Massachusetts Bay Colony for example, setting up a location in Boston where one can send letters back to England. Other efforts focus on special postal services between two larger colonies, such as Massachusetts and Virginia, but the available services remain limited in scope and disjointed for years. For example, a self-run informal mail route operated in Boston early in 1639, with Boston services to New York City starting in 1672.

A central postal organization came to the colony in 1691, when Thomas Neale received a 21-year grant from the United Kingdom for the North American Postal Service . On February 17, 1691, a grant from the patent letter of the joint ruler, William III and Mary II, empowered him:

"to establish, settle, and establish within the main part of the colony and estates of their majesty in America, an office or office to receive and send letters and pacquets, and to receive, send and deliver the same below rates and amounts of money as the planters must agree to give, and to hold and enjoy the same thing for a period of twenty-one years. "

Patents include the exclusive right to assign and collect formal postal tax on official documents of all kinds. The tax is lifted one year later. Neale appointed Andrew Hamilton, New Jersey Governor, as deputy head of the post. The first postal service in America began in February 1692. Fixed and official postage rates, and steps were taken to establish post offices in every city in Virginia. Massachusetts and other colonies soon passed the postal laws, and a very imperfect post office system was established. The Neale patent expired in 1710, when the Parliament expanded the British post system to the colonies. The headquarters was established in New York City, where letters were delivered by regular packets across the Atlantic.

Before the Revolution, there was little business correspondence or government between the colonies. Most of the letters went back and forth to count the houses and government offices in London. The revolution made Philadelphia, the center of Continental Congress, the new state information center. News, new laws, political intelligence, and military orders are circulated with new urgency, and a postal system is required. Journalists lead, securing post office laws that allow them to reach their customers at very low cost, and exchange news from newspapers between thirteen states. Overthrowing the London-oriented imperial postal service in 1774-1775, the printers registered new traders and political leadership, and created a new postal system. United States Post Office (USPO) was established on July 26, 1775, with the decision of the Second Continental Congress. Benjamin Franklin resigned briefly.

Prior to the Revolution, people like Benjamin Franklin and William Goddard were colonial postmasters who administered mail later and were the general architects of the postal system that began as an alternative to the Crown Post.

The official post office was created in 1792 as the Department of Post Office (USPOD). It is based on the Constitutional authority empowering Congress "To establish post offices and post roads". The 1792 law provides a highly expanded postal network, and serves editors by charging very low newspaper rates. The law guarantees the sanctity of personal correspondence, and provides all countries with inexpensive access to information about public affairs, while establishing the right to personal privacy.

Rufus Easton was appointed by Thomas Jefferson as the first postal head of St. Louis under the recommendation of Postmaster General Gideon Granger. Rufus Easton was the first postmaster and built the first post office west of the Mississippi. At the same time Easton was appointed by Thomas Jefferson, a Louisiana Region judge, the largest region in North America. Bruce Adamson writes that: "In addition to Benjamin Franklin, Rufus Easton is one of the most colorful people in the US Postal History." It was Easton who educated Attorney General Abraham Lincoln, Edward Bates. In 1815 Edward Bates moved to Easton's house and lived there for years in Third and Elm. Today is the site of Jefferson Memorial Park. In 1806 Postmaster General Gideon Granger wrote a three-page letter to Easton asking him not to participate in a duel with vice-president Aaron Burr. Two years earlier was Burr who shot and killed Alexander Hamilton. Years later in 1852, Easton's son, Maj. Gen. Langdon Cheves Easton, was commissioned by William T. Sherman, at Fort Union to deliver a letter to Independence, Missouri. Sherman writes: "In the Spring of 1852, General Sherman mentioned that the quartermaster, Major LC Easton, at Fort Union, New Mexico, had the opportunity to post several messages to the east on a certain date, and contracted with Aubrey to bring it to the nearest post office ( then Independence, Missouri), making compensation depending on the time spent.He supplied with a good horse, and a command on the train out for exchanges.Although the entire route is full of hostile Indians, and not the house On it, Aubrey begins his own with his rifle, he is fortunate to meet some of the trains beyond the borders, and thus often make horse changes, about four or five, and reach Independence in six days, for hardly resting or sleeping along the way.

To travel a great distance, the Post Office uses a hub-and-spoke system, with Washington as a connecting hub and sorting center. By 1869, with 27,000 local post offices being handled, it had changed to sort mailing letters on special railway cars, called the Railway Post Office, or RPO. The postal money transfer system began in 1864. Free mail delivery began in major cities in 1863.

19th century

The postal system plays an important role in national expansion. This facilitates expansion into the West by creating a cheap, fast, and convenient communication system. Letters from early settlers provided information and boosterism to encourage increased migration to the West, helping disseminated families stay in touch and provide assistance, assisted entrepreneurs in finding business opportunities, and allowing regular trade relationships between western merchants and wholesalers and factories back east.. The postal service also helped the Army in expanding its control over the vast western region. The widespread circulation of important newspapers through letters, such as the New York Weekly Tribune facilitates coordination among politicians in different states. Postal services help integrate established areas with borders, create a spirit of nationalism and provide the necessary infrastructure.

The Post Office of the 19th century was a major source of federal patronage. The local post office is a tribute to local politicians - often party newspaper editors. About three-quarters of all federal civil servants work for the Post Office. In 1816 employed 3341 men, and in 1841, 14,290. The volume of letters extends far more rapidly than the population, because each year 100 letters and 200 newspapers per 1000 white citizens in 1790, and 2900 letters and 2700 newspapers per thousand in 1840.

The Post Office Department was enlarged during the term of President Andrew Jackson. When Post Office expanded, difficulties were experienced due to lack of employees and transportation. Post Office employees at the time were still subject to the so-called "spoils" system, in which loyal political supporters of the executive branch were appointed to positions at the post office and other government companies in return for their protection. Those designated this rarely have prior experience in postal service and mail delivery. This political patronage system was replaced in 1883, following the passing of the Pendleton Civil Law Reform Act.

In 1823, ten years after the Post Office first began to use steamers to carry letters between postal cities where there were no roads, the waterways were declared postal roads. After it became clear that the postal system in the United States needs to be expanded across the country, the use of trains to transport the letter was instituted in 1832, on a line in Pennsylvania. All railroads in the United States were designated as postal routes, following the enactment of the 7 July 1838 Act. The mail service via railroads increased rapidly thereafter.

A Congress Act was provided for the publication of stamps on March 3, 1847, and the Postmaster General immediately awarded a contract to the New York City carving firm of Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson. The first US stamp issue was offered for sale on July 1, 1847, in New York City, with Boston receiving stamps the next day and other cities thereafter. 5 cents seal paid for mail weighing less than 1 oz (28 g) and traveling less than 300 miles, 10 cents stamp for delivery to locations greater than 300 miles, or double the weight of shipment for a 5 cents stamp.

In 1847, the US Steamship Company accepted a contract allowing it to bring in US shipments from New York, with stops in New Orleans and Havana, to the Panama Islands for delivery in California. That same year, Pacific Mail Steamship Company has obtained the right to send a letter under contract from the United States Government from Panama to Panama. In 1855, William Henry Aspinwall completed the Panama Railway, providing rail service throughout the Landmark and cutting up to three weeks of transport time for letters, passengers and goods to California. It remained an important route until the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869. The railroad company greatly expanded its mail transport service after 1862, and the Mail Service Railway was inaugurated in 1869.

Rail cars designed to sort and distribute letters as they are rolled out soon are introduced. RMS employees sort out "on-the-fly" letters during the trip, and become some of the most skilled workers in the postal service. The RMS sorter should be able to split the letter quickly into the compartment based on its final destination, before the first objective arrives, and work at a rate of 600 sheets of mail per hour. They are tested regularly for speed and accuracy.

The Parcel Post service began with the introduction of the International Parcel Post between the United States and foreign countries in 1887. That same year, the US Post Office (USPS predecessor) and the Postmaster General of Canada established parcel services between the two countries. A bilateral parcel-post agreement between the independent (then) Royal Hawaii and the United States was signed on December 19, 1888 and enacted in early 1889. The postal service between the US and other countries grew with successive signings. post convention and agreement. Although the Post Office agrees to ship parcels sent to countries under the UPU agreement, the Post Office has not established a domestic parcel post service for twenty-five years.

20th century

The emergence of Rural Free Shipping (RFD) in the US in 1896, and the inauguration of the domestic parcel postal service by Postmaster General Frank H. Hitchcock in 1913, greatly increased the volume of mail sent across the country, and motivated more efficient development. post transport system. Many rural customers make use of the cheap Postage Package rate to order goods and products from businesses located hundreds of miles away in distant cities for mailing. From 1910 to 1960s, many students and others used parcel posts to send dirty laundry to the house, because doing so was cheaper than washing their own clothes.

After four-year-old Charlotte May Pierstorff was sent from his parents to his grandparents in Idaho in 1914, sending people was forbidden. In 1917, the Post Office imposed a maximum daily limit of two hundred pounds per customer per day after a businessman, W.H. Coltharp, using cheap parcel-post rates to send over eighty thousand bricks about four hundred and seven miles through horse-drawn carriages and trains for the construction of a bank building in Vernal, Utah.

The advent of the packet post also led to the growth of letter order businesses that substantially increased rural access to modern goods above what is usually stocked in local public stores.

In 1912, operator services were announced to be established in second and third class cities with $ 100,000 adjusted by Congress. From January 1, 1911, until July 1, 1967, the US Post Office Department operated the US Postal Saving System. A Congressional Act of 25 June 1910, established the Postal Savings System at the designated Post Office, effective January 1, 1911. The law, which aims to earn money from hiding, attracts immigrant savings accustomed to a postal saving system in their home country. state, providing a safe haven for people who have lost confidence in the bank, and providing a more convenient place for people who work. The law establishing the system directs the Post Office Department to transfer most of the money in the system at a local bank, where it earns 2.5 percent interest.

The system pays 2 percent interest per annum on deposits. A half percent difference in interest is intended to pay for system operation. Certificates are issued to depositors as proof of their deposit. Depositors in the system were initially limited to having a $ 500 balance, but this was raised to $ 1,000 in 1916 and to $ 2,500 in 1918. The initial minimum deposit is $ 1. To save smaller deposits, customers can buy a savings card 10 cent posts and 10 percent postal savings to fill it. Cards can be used to open or add accounts when their value, along with the attached stamp, amounts to a dollar or more, or is redeemable for cash. At its peak in 1947, the system saves nearly 3.4 billion deposits, with more than four million depositors using 8,141 units of mail.

The Post Office Department played an important intelligence role during World War I, imposed Espionage and Commerce with Enemy Acts, monitored foreign letters and acted as counter-spies to help secure an allied victory.

On August 12, 1918, the Post Office Department took over the airmail service of the United States Air Force Service (USAAS). Postmaster General Assistant, Otto Praeger, designates Benjamin B. Lipsner to head a civil-operated Air Mail Service. One of Lipsner's first actions was to hire four pilots, each with at least 1,000 hours of flying experience, paying them an average of $ 4,000 a year ($ 65.1 thousand today). The Post Office Department used a new JR-1B standard biplane that was specifically modified to carry letters when the war was in progress, but after the war that operated most of World War I military surplus de Havilland DH-4 aircraft.

During 1918, the Post Office rented an additional 36 pilots. In its first year of operation, the Post Office completed 1,208 air flights with 90 forced landings. Of those, 53 are due to weather and 37 machine failures. By 1920, the Air Mail service had sent 49 million mailings. Domestic air mails became obsolete in 1975, and international air mails in 1995, when the USPS began transporting First Class letters by air on a regular basis.

The Post Office is one of the first government departments to organize obscene material nationally. When the US Congress passed the Comstock law of 1873 it became illegal to send by US mail any material deemed obscene or indecent, or that promoted the problem of abortion, birth control, or alcohol consumption.

On March 18, 1970, postal workers in New York City - upset with low wages and poor working conditions, and championed by the Civil Rights movement - organizing the American government strike Union. The strike initially involved postal workers in only New York City, but ultimately gained the support of over 210,000 US Post Office workers across the country. While the strike ended without any concession from the Federal government, it ultimately enabled postal and government unions to negotiate the contracts that gave the most what trade unions they wanted, as well as the signing of the Post Reorganization Act by President Richard Nixon on August 12, 1970. The law replaced the Cabinet Post Office Cabinet with a new federal agency, the United States Postal Service, and entered into force on 1 July 1971.

Maps United States Postal Service

Current operation

The US Postal Service employs about 617,000 workers, making it the third largest civilian company in the United States behind the federal government and Wal-Mart. In a US Supreme Court ruling in 2006, the Court noted: "Every day, according to Government posts here, the US Postal Service sends about 660 million pieces of mail to 142 million shipping points." In 2016, USPS operates 31,585 post offices and locations in the US, and provides 153.4 billion pieces of mail each year.

The USPS operates one of the largest civilian fleets in the world, with approximately 227,896 vehicles, most of which are easily identifed Chevrolet/Grumman LLV (longevity vehicles), and newer Ford/Utilimaster FFV (flexible fuel) vehicles) , initially also referred to as CRV (carrier route vehicle). It is based on the geography and volume of the world's largest postal system, providing 47% of the world's mail. For every cent of the national average gasoline price hike, the USPS spends an additional $ 8 million per year on fuel for its fleet.

The number of gallons of fuel used in 2009 was 444 million, at a cost of US $ 1.1 billion. This fleet is famous for its many vehicles is the right drive, a setting intended to give the driver the easiest access to the roadside mailbox. Some Rural Merchants use private vehicles. Postal standard vehicles do not have license plates. The vehicle is identified by a seven digit number displayed on the front and back.

The Department of Defense and USPS jointly operate the postal system to send letters to the military; this is known as the Army Post Office (for Army and Air mail facilities) and Fleet Post Office (for Naval post facilities, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Force).

In February 2013, the Postal Service announces that on Saturday it will only ship packages, postal mail medicines, Priority Letters, and Express Mail, effective August 10, 2013. However, these amendments are annulled by federal law in Consolidation and Continuing More Advanced Actropriations Act, 2013. They are now sending packages on Sunday - only for Amazon.com. For four weeks before Christmas since 2013, packages from all classes and email senders are sent on Sundays in some areas.

Packages are also shipped on holidays, except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Five-year plan

In October 2016, the Postal Service released Prepared Future , a five-year plan required by law commencing in 1993. The plan outlines the Postal Service goals for the next five years.

1. Provide a world-class customer experience.

2. Completing, empowering, and engaging employees.

3. Innovate faster to deliver value.

4. Invest on our future platforms.

Initiative

In 2011, many media reported that the USPS would be out of business. The USPS strategy came under fire because new technologies emerged and the USPS did not find a way to generate new revenue sources.

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Budget

In 2016, the Postal Service raised $ 71.49 billion in revenue.

Decrease in revenue and reduced planned

In 2016, the USPS suffered its fifth annual operating loss in a row, in the amount of $ 5.59 billion, of which $ 5.8 billion is the accrual of unpaid retirement compulsory benefit payments.

Decrease mail volume

First Class letter volumes peaked in 2001 and have dropped 29% from 1998 to 2008, due to increased use of email and the World Wide Web for correspondence and business transactions.

FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS) compete directly with USPS Express Mail and packet delivery services, making important mail and parcel shipments nationwide.

Lower volume means lower revenues to support a steady commitment to deliver to each address once a day, six days a week. According to the official report on November 15, 2012, the US Postal Service lost $ 15.9 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Internal alignment and submission delay

In response, the USPS has increased productivity annually from 2000 to 2007, through increased automation, route re-optimization, and facility consolidation. Despite these efforts, the organization saw a $ 8.5 billion budget shortfall in 2010, and lost money at a rate of about $ 3 billion per quarter in 2011.

On December 5, 2011, the USPS announced it would close more than half of its mail processing centers, eliminating 28,000 jobs and reducing First Class Class Mail deliveries. This will close 252 out of 461 processing centers. (In peak letters volume in 2006, USPS operates 673 facilities.) In May 2012, the plan is to start the first round of consolidation in the summer of 2012, a pause from September to December, and start the second round in February 2014; 80% of first class mail will still be delivered overnight until the end of 2013. New delivery standards are issued in January 2015, and the majority of single-letter (not precedent) first-grade mail is now sent in two days instead of one. Large commercial mailers can still send first class mail overnight if sent directly to the processing center in the morning, though by 2014 it represents only 11% of first class mail. Unregistered first-grade mail will continue to ship anywhere in the United States adjacent within three days.

Post office close

In July 2011, USPS announced plans to close approximately 3,700 small post offices. Representatives in Congress protested, and the Senate passed a bill that would continue to open all post offices further than 10 miles from the next office. In May 2012, the service announced it had modified its plans. In contrast, the rural post office will remain open with reduced retail hours (some just two hours per day) unless there is a public preference for different options. In a rural customer survey, 20% preferred "Village Post Office" replacement (where the nearest private retail store will provide basic mail services with extended hours), 15% merger with other Post Offices, and 11% prefer rural delivery expanded services. About 40% of postal revenue comes from online purchases or private retail partners including Walmart, Staples, Office Depot, Walgreens, Sam's Club, Costco, and a grocery store. The National Labor Relations Council agrees to hear the argument of the US Postal Workers Union that these counters should be manned by post-workers who earn far more and have "generous health and pension benefits packages".

Deletion of Saturday delivery avoided

On January 28, 2009, Postmaster General John E. Potter testified before the Senate that, if the Postal Service could not re-adjust its payments to the employees' retirement benefits contractually obtained, as mandated by the accountability of the post and amp; Enhancement Act of 2006, USPS will be forced to consider cutting shipments of up to five days per week during June, July, and August.

H.R. 22, addressed this issue, authorized House of Representatives and Senate and signed into law on September 30, 2009. However, Postmaster General Potter continues to advance plans to eliminate Saturday mail deliveries.

On June 10, 2009, the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association (NRLCA) was contacted for input on a recent USPS research on the effect of a five-day delivery along with developing an implementation plan for a five-day service plan. A team consisting of Post head office staff and staff has been given a period of sixty days to complete the study. The current concept examines the effect of five-day shipping without business or collection on Saturdays, with the Post Office currently open Saturday.

On Thursday, April 15, 2010, the Government's Supervisory and Reform Commission held a hearing to examine the status of the Postal Service and a recent report on the short- and long-term strategy for USPS financial and stability sustainability entitled "Continuing to Provide: Current Financial Crisis Audit Examination and Future Continuity. "At that time, PMG Potter testified that by 2020, USPS cumulative losses could exceed $ 238 billion, and that letter volume could fall by 15 percent from 2009.

In February 2013, USPS announced that in order to save about $ 2 billion per year, Saturday's delivery service would be discontinued except for mail-order, mail-order, Priority Mail, Express Mail and mail sent to Post Office boxes, from 10 August, 2013. But the Consolidated and Continuing Allocation Act, 2013, was adopted in March, reversing the cuts to Saturday delivery.

Pension and default payment

The Accountability of Post and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA) requires the USPS to fund the present value of the pension obligations received (essentially unpublished past commitments) within a period of ten years. In contrast, private businesses in the United States have no legal obligation to pay pension costs on appointment rather than retirement, but about a quarter do so.

The Personnel Management Office (OPM) is the main bureaucratic organization responsible for human resource aspects of many federal agencies and employees. PAEA created the Post Service Health Retirement Fund (PSRHB) after Congress removed the Postal Service contribution to the Civil Servants Pension System (CSRS). Most other employees who contribute to CSRS have deducted 7% of their salary. Currently all new employees contribute to the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) once they become full time employees.

As of September 30, 2014, the USPS failed to make a $ 5.7 billion payment on this debt, which is the fourth default.

Upgrade

Congress has restricted the rate increase for First-Class Mail at the cost of inflation, unless approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission. An additional charge of 3 Â ¢ above inflation raises the 1 oz (28 g) level to 49 Â ¢ in January 2014, but this was approved by the Commission for only two years.

Update package, shipping changes, and alcohol delivery

The comprehensive reform packages considered in the 113th Congress include S.1486 and H.R.2748. This includes measures of efficiency, supported by Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to end door-to-door mail delivery for some or most of the 35 million addresses currently receiving it, replacing it with a curbside box or a nearby "cluster box". This will save $ 4.5 billion per year from a $ 30 billion delivery budget; door-to-door city-to-door shipping costs an average of $ 353 per stop, $ 224 on the roadside, and a $ 160 cluster box (and for rural delivery, $ 278, $ 176, and $ 126, respectively).

S.1486, also with Postmaster Donahoe support, will also allow USPS to deliver alcohol according to state law, from producers to receivers with IDs to show them over 21. It is projected to raise about $ 50 million per year. (Delivery of alcoholic drinks is currently illegal under 18 U.S.C.Ã,§ 1716 (f).)

In 2014, the Postal Service requested reforms for workers' compensation, moved from pensions to defined retirement pension plans, and paid senior pension health care fees from Medicare funds, as did for private sector workers.

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Governance and organization

The Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service establishes the policies, procedures and postal rates for the services provided, and has a role similar to that of the company's board of directors. Of the eleven members of the Council, nine were appointed by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate (see 39 U.S.C.Ã, Ã,§Ã, 202). The nine appointed members then chose the Postmaster General of the United States, who serves as a member of the ten councils, and who oversees the day-to-day activities of the service as Chief Executive Officer (see 39 USC Ã,§Ã,§Ã, 202-203). The ten-member board then nominates a Deputy Headmaster, who acts as Chief Operating Officer, to the eleventh and final open seat remaining.

The independent Postal Regulatory Commission (formerly the Postal Commission) is also controlled by persons appointed by the President who are confirmed by the Senate. It oversees postal rates and related concerns, has authority to approve or reject a USPS proposal.

USPS is often misconstrued as a government-owned company (eg, Amtrak) because it operates like a business. However, it is "the establishment of the executive branch of the United States Government", (39 U.S.C.Ã, §§ 201) as controlled by the person appointed by the President and Principal. As a government institution, it has many privileges, including sovereign immunity, the power of a leading domain, the power to negotiate postal agreements with foreign countries, and the exclusive right to send first and third class letters. Indeed, in 2004, the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the USPS is not a government-owned company, and therefore can not be sued under the Sherman Antiprust Act.

The US Supreme Court also has upheld the USPS legislation monopoly on access to the mailbox against the challenge of free speech from the First Amendment; so it remains illegal in the U.S. to anyone , other than employees and USPS agents, to send mail to the mailbox marked "U.S. Mail".

The Postal Service also has a Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee and a local Postal Customer Council, which advises and primarily engages business customers.

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Universal service obligation and monopoly status

Legal basis and reason

Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the Constitution of the United States gives Congress the power to establish post and post offices, which has been construed as a de facto Congress monopoly over the sending of first-class home letters - which have been defined as Household Letters-none (not packets). Therefore, no other system for sending first-class housing letters - public or private - has been tolerated, no approval of Congress.

The mission of the Postal Service is to provide the American public with a trusted universal postal service. Although not explicitly defined, the universal service obligations of the Postal Service (USO) are outlined in the legislation and cover several dimensions: geographic scope, product range, access to services and facilities, freight rates, affordable and uniform prices, service quality, and mail security. While other operators may claim to voluntarily provide widespread delivery, the Postal Service is the sole operator with legal obligations to provide all aspects of universal service.

Proponents of the universal service principle claim that because any obligation must be matched with the financial ability to fulfill that obligation, postal monopolies are placed as funding mechanisms for the USO, and have existed for over a hundred years. It consists of two parts: Private Express Statutes (PES) and mailbox access rules. PES refers to the Postal Service monopoly on mail delivery, and the mailbox rules refer to exclusive access of the Postal Service to the customer mailbox.

Proponents of the universal service principle further claim that eliminating or reducing PES or mailbox rules will affect the ability of the Postal Service to provide affordable universal services. If, for example, PES and mailbox rules are omitted, and USO is maintained, then either billions of dollars in tax revenues or other sources of funding must be found.

Some supporters of the universal service principle point out that personal communications protected by the government veil promote free exchange of ideas and communications. This separates personal communication from nonprofit or personal nonprofit personal skills into corrupt capabilities. Security for individuals in this way is protected by the United States Postal Service, keeping secrecy and anonymity, and government employees much less likely to be instructed by superiors to engage in malicious spying activities. It is seen by some as a dangerous move to extract the universal service principle of the post office, because the nature of untested personal communication is maintained as a guarantee of the protection of individual privacy freedom.

However, due to recent notice of termination of mail services to Church of Franks residents - the River of No Return Wilderness shows, the mail service has been contracted to private companies such as Arnold Aviation for decades. KTVB-TV reports:

"We can not go out every week and take our mail.... that's impossible", says Heinz Sippel. "Everyone gets their mail Why can not we?" says Sue Anderson. Sending mails sent, once a week, by plane is not a luxury, it is a necessity for those living in the vast wilderness of Idaho - along the Salmon and Selway rivers. This is a service that has been given to them for over half a century - mostly by Ray Arnold of Arnold Aviation.

The decision was reversed; The US Passover General, John Potter, pointed out that acceptable service to the customer of the back country could not be achieved by any means other than continuing the airfreight contract with Arnold Aviation to send a letter.

2008 report on universal postal service and postal monopoly

The Postal Act of 2006 requires the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to submit reports to the President and Congress on universal postal and post monopoly services in December 2008. The report should include the recommended changes. The Postal Service Report supports the requirement that the PRC will consult with and request written comments from the Postal Service. In addition, the Government Accountability Office is required to evaluate broader business model issues in 2011.

On October 15, 2008, the Postal Service sent a report to the PRC in its position relating to Universal Service Obligations (USO). It says no changes to USO and mailbox restrictions are currently required, but increased regulatory flexibility is needed to ensure affordable universal services in the future. In 2013, the Postal Service announces that from August 2013, Saturday delivery will be terminated.

USO obligations include uniform pricing, service quality, access to services and delivery of six days to any part of the country. To ensure financial support for this obligation, the postal monopoly provides the Postal Service an exclusive right to post letters and restrict mailbox access solely to mail. The report argues that eliminating or reducing one aspect of the monopoly "will have a devastating impact on the ability... to provide affordable universal services that value the country very highly." Casual access to the mailbox will also cause security issues, increase shipping costs, and hurt customer service, according to the Post Office. Report notes:

Somewhat misleading to characterize mailbox rules as "monopolies," because the 18 U.S.C.Ã, Ã, § 1725 application leaves customers with many alternative ways to get their message across. Subscribers can send their messages either by paying for postage, by placing a message above or under a door or doormat, using a newspaper or non-mailbox, by calling or emailing, by engaging in person-to-person delivery in public places, by nailing or recording their notices at the door post, or by placing advertisements in local newspapers. This method is comparable in the efficacy of communication through the mailbox.

Most of these alternatives are not actually free in some communities. For example, in the Chicago metropolitan area and many other major metros, one should get a background check from the police and pay a daily fee for the right to collect or post commercial messages on private property.

Regarding the letter delivery monopoly, the report notes that the monopoly is incomplete, as there are exceptions to the letters where either the amount paid for the personal transport of the letter is equivalent to at least six times the current rate for the first ounce of the First Class letter one-part (also known as "base tariff" or "base rate") or the letter weighs at least 12.5 ounces.

The Postal Service says that the USO should continue to be broadly defined and there should be no change in postal monopoly. Every change will have a profound impact on billions of customers and industries. "A more rigid USO will... ultimately endanger America's public and business," according to the report, which warns that potential changes must be carefully studied and their impacts fully understood.

Competitors

FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS) compete directly with USPS Express Mail and packet delivery services, making important mail and parcel shipments nationwide. Due to the post monopoly, they are not allowed to send non-urgent letters and can not send directly to US mailboxes in residential and commercial destinations. However, both companies have transit agreements with USPS where an item may be lowered by FedEx or UPS which will then deliver delivery to the post office of destination serving the intended recipient, which will be transferred for delivery to US destinations. , including the purpose of the Office Post Office Box. This service also provides packages that are larger and heavier than the USPS will receive. DHL Express was the third major contender until February 2009, when it stopped domestic shipping operations in the United States.

Other transportation companies in the United States move cargo across the country, but have limited geographic coverage for the delivery point, or specialize in items that are too large to ship. Many of the thousands of courier companies focus on the same delivery, for example, by courier bicycles.

Although USPS and FedEx are direct competitors, USPS contracts with FedEx for 2-3 Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express (usually overnight) air transport.

Alternate transmission method

The Post Office Department owns and operates the first public telegraph channel in the United States, starting in 1844 from Washington to Baltimore, and eventually extends to New York, Boston, Buffalo, and Philadelphia. In 1847, the telegraph system was privatized, except for the period during World War I, when it was used to speed up mail delivery arriving at night.

Between 1942 and 1945 "V-Mail" (for the "Victory Letter" service) available for military mail. Letters were converted into microfilms and reprinted near destinations, to save space on transport vehicles for military charges.

From 1982 to 1985, Electronic Letter of Computer Comes, known as E-COM was accepted for bulk shipments. The text is transmitted electronically to one of 25 national post offices. The Postal Service will print a letter and put it in a special envelope with a blue E-COM logo. Delivery is guaranteed within 2 days.

To improve accuracy and efficiency, the Postal Service introduced the Intelligent Mail program to complement the Postal code system. This system, intended to replace a deprecated POSTNET system, enables mass mailers to use pre-printed bar codes to aid in mail delivery and sorting. An additional feature, called Enhanced, or Full-Service, Intelligent Mail Barcodes makes it possible to track emails from bulk mail through the postal system to the Post Office of final delivery.

Criticism of universal and post monopoly service requirements

Critics of universal service requirements and postal monopoly laws include some professional economists who advocate for the privatization of mail delivery systems, or at least the relaxation of the existing universal service model. Rick Geddes argued in 2000:

• First, basic economics implies that rural customers are not possible without services under competition; they only have to pay the actual shipping cost to them, which may or may not be lower than under monopoly.
• Secondly, the basic notion of fairness implies that cross-subsidy should be eliminated. To the extent that people make choices about where they live, they must bear the cost of that decision.
• Thirdly, there is no reason why government monopolies are needed to ensure services to sparsely populated areas. Governments can easily provide competitive contracts to private companies for the service.
• Fourth, the initial concern that the rural population of the United States will somehow become isolated without the delivery of federal subsidized letters is now completely unfounded.... Once both sender and receiver have access to a computer, the shortest cost for sending an electronic message is near zero.

Furthermore, some economists argue that since public companies can pursue different goals of profit maximization, they may have more incentives than firms that maximize profits to behave in an anti-competitive manner through policies such as fraud pricing, improper costing, and creating barriers to sign in. To address the problem, an economist proposes a cost allocation model that will determine the optimal allocation of USPS general costs by finding a cost portion that will maximize USPS profits from its competitors' products. The postal regulator may use such a cost model to ensure that the Postal Service does not misuse a statutory monopoly by subsidizing discounts in a competitive product market with revenue derived from a monopolized market.

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Law enforcement agencies

Post Inspection Service

The US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the US. Founded by Benjamin Franklin, his mission is to protect the Postal Service, its employees, and its customers from crime and protect the country's email system from criminal misuse.

Post Supervisors enforce more than 200 federal laws governing the protection of letters in criminal investigations that may adversely affect or fraudulently use US Email, postal system or postal employees.

The USPIS has the power to enforce USPS monopoly by searching and seizing entities that they suspect to send non-urgent mail through overnight delivery competitors. According to the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative private think tank, the USPIS raided the Equifax office in 1993 to ascertain whether the mail they sent through Federal Express was really "very urgent." It was found that the letter was not, and Equifax was fined $ 30,000.

Finally, the PIS oversees the activities of the Postal Police Force patrolling in and around some high-risk postal facilities in major metropolitan areas of the United States and its territory.

Office of the Inspector General

The US Postal Service Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was authorized by law in 1996. Prior to the 1996 law, the Postal Inspection Service performed OIG duties. The Inspector General, who does not rely on postal management, is appointed by and reports directly to nine members of the Board of Governors of the United States appointed by the council appointed by the president.

OIG's primary objective is to prevent, detect and report fraud, waste and misuse of the program, and improve efficiency in the operation of the Postal Service. OIG has a "supervisory" responsibility for all Postal Check Services activities.

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How the delivery service

Element handle and prepare domestic mail

All available articles (for example, letters, flats, workable packages, irregular packets, etc.) that are shipped in the United States must comply with a set of standards published in USPS Domestic Mail Manual (DMM). Before handling the mail, it must first comply with the various eligibility standards associated with the attributes of the actual letter such as: minimum/maximum dimensions and weight, acceptable mailboxes, proper sealing/closing of posts, use of signs, and restrictions related to hazardous substances (eg, explosives, combustible materials, etc.) and restricted materials (eg, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, etc.), as well as other materials articulated in Ã, § 601 DMM.

USPS sets the following key elements when preparing faces from a mailpiece:

1. Proper placement : Shipping Address must be justified and located approximately in the middle of the largest side of the ballot. More precisely, in the letter-sized section, the suggested address placement is in the optical character reading (OCR) reading area, which is the address-side space of the letter defined by these limits: Left - 1/2 inch (13 mm) from left edge pieces; Right - 1/2 inch (13 mm) from the right edge of the piece; Top - 2-3/4Ã, inch (70 mm) from the bottom edge of the piece; Bottom - 5/8 inch (16 mm) from the bottom edge of the piece. The preferred placement of the sender's address is at the top left of the letter - at the sending side of the bearing. Finally, postage (for example, stamps, meter marks, information-based indicia [IBI], etc.) Must be embedded in the upper right corner of the mailing address side. It should be noted that any cap/indicia partially hidden or obscured by the overlapping stamp/indicia can not be counted as valid postage.
2. Delivery Address (the receiving party) : The mailing section should have the address of the intended recipient, visible and readable, only on the postal side of the post. Generally, the recipient's name must be entered above the address itself. ZIP Code 4 will facilitate delivery.
3. Returning Address (the sender of the mail) : The sender address tells USPS if the sender wants the email returned if it can not be sent. Use of the sender address is required for some postal services (including Priority Mail, Express Mail, Periodical in envelopes or wrapping, Insured Letters, Registered Letters, and package services).
4. Payment of Postage : All submissions must include the appropriate postage. Payment of postage can be in the form of stamp, stationery stamp, stamp stamp, stamp meter & amp; Postage PC Products ("Postage Delivery System"), or print permission (indicia). Members of the US Congress, among others, have striking privileges, requiring only a signature.

Domestic First Class Mail costs 50 ¢ for envelopes (35 ¢ for postcards) and up, depending on the weight and dimensions of letters and classes.

Mail goes to naval vessels known as Fleet Post Office (FPO) and to Army or Air Force installations using APO abbreviation (Army Post Office or Air Force Post Office).

Non-refundable undeliverable mail, including email without a return address, is treated as a dead letter at Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia or Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The address format is as follows

Row 1: Recipient name

Line 2: Street address or P.O. Box

Line 3: City, Country (ISO 3166-2: US code or APO/FPO code) and ZIP code 4

Example

Clifford Clavin

789 Beacon Street

Boston MA 02186-1234

USPS maintains an appropriate list of abbreviations.

Sender address format is similar. Although some style guides recommend the use of commas between cities and country names when sorting addresses in other contexts, for optimum automatic character recognition, the Post Office does not recommend this when handling mail. The official recommendation is to use all uppercase block letters with proper formats and abbreviations, and leave out all punctuation except for hyphens in ZIP code 4. If the address is not formatted or unreadable, it will require hand-processing, delay certain items. USPS publishes their overall postal addressing standards.

Postal verification tools and services are offered by USPS and third-party companies to help ensure that mail can be sent by fixing formatting, adding information such as Postal codes and validating addresses is a valid delivery point. Customers can search ZIP codes and verify addresses using USPS Web Tools available on the official USPS website and Facebook pages, as well as on third party sites.

Point View Validation

Delivery Point Validation (DPV) provides the highest level of accuracy checks. In the DPV process, the address is checked against the AMS data file to ensure that it exists as an active delivery point. USPS does not offer DPV validation on their website but there are companies offering services to verify DPV.

Paying postage

The actual postage can be paid through:

• Stamps are purchased online at usps.com, at Post Office, from stamp vending machines or "Post Center Automatic" which can also handle packages, or from third parties (such as a grocery store)
• Stamps canceled for bulk mail delivery
• Post meters
• Pre-paid envelopes
• Ship labels are purchased online and printed by customers on standard paper (eg with Click-N-Ship, or via third parties like PayPal or Amazon shipping)

All US unused stamps since 1861 still apply as stamps with the indicated value. No value stamps indicated or denominated by mail are still valid, although their value depends on a particular postage. For some stamps issued without print value, the current value is the original value. But some of the stamps that began in 1988 or earlier, including Forever Stamps (excluded from April 2007) and all first class, first stamps issued from January 21, 2011, the value is the current value of the first class send the first ounce stamp. USPS call this Stamps Forever but its generic name is non denominational postage.

Forever postage is sold at Class One postage rates at the time of purchase, but will always apply to First-Class Mail (1 oz and below), no matter how the price goes up in the future. The UK has the same seal since 1989. The cost of mailing 1-oz (28 g) Primary mail increased to 50 cents on January 28, 2018

Post meter

The postage meter is a mechanical device used to create and apply physical proof of shipping (or franking) to the delivered material. The postage meter is governed by the country postal authority; for example, in the United States, the United States Postal Service imposes rules for the manufacture, support, and use of postage meters. A postage meter implements a certain amount of postage, functions as a stamp, cancellation and postmark dated all in one. The meter meter serves as a proof of payment and eliminates the need for an adhesive stamp.

PC stamp

In addition to standard postage, postage can now be printed in electronic stamp, or e-stamp, from a personal computer using a system called an Information Based Indicator. This online PC Posage method relies on application software on customer computers that contact postal security devices in post office services.

Other electronic payment methods

Electronic Verification System (eVS) is an Integrated Postal Mail Management technology that centralizes payment processing and electronic postage reports. Part of the payment of USPS electronic payment services called PosOne !, eVS allows mailers to send a large number of packages via the Postal Service a way to avoid the use of hard copies manifests, shipping statements, and shipping verification forms. Instead, mailers can pay for postage automatically through a centralized account and track online payments.

Beginning in August 2007, the Postal Service began requiring Parcel Select parcel shippers using permission to use eVS to manifest their packages.

Fighting copyright and reproduction

All US stamps issued under the previous US Post Office Department and other postal items released before 1978 are not subject to copyright, but the stamp design since 1978 has copyright. The United States Copyright Office in section 313.6 (C) (1) of the Third Edition of the U.S. Practice Summary of the US Copyright Office states that "Jobs prepared by officers or employees of the US Postal Service... are not regarded as the work of the US Government" and because it qualifies for registration. Accordingly, USPS holds the copyright on material released since 1978 under Title 17 of the United States Code. Written permission is required for the use of stamped images of copyrighted stamps, although under USPS rules, "general" permissions are not required for "educational use", "news reporting" or "use of philatelic advertising," but users should mention USPS as the source of the image and include the language such as "Ã, Â © United States Postal Service. All rights reserved."

Service level options

General domestic services

Starting April 2011, domestic delivery rates for low-volume mailers include:

• Mail Express Priority (Formerly Express Mail): Overnight delivery is guaranteed for most locations
  • Sunday, holiday and 10:30 am are available for an additional fee.
  • $ 100 includes insurance.
  • Tracking included.
  • Flat Rate envelopes are available. Otherwise, the price varies by weight and distance.
• Priority Letter: Special day delivery service starting from 1-3 days depending on origin of delivery (not guaranteed)
  • Since January 27, 2013, tracking via Delivery Confirmation is now included on all Priority Mail deliveries.
  • Envelope boxes and flat boxes (of various sizes) are available free of charge from the Post Store. Otherwise, the price varies by weight, size, and distance.
  • $ 50 insurance for retail insurance/$ 100 for commercial starting July 28, 2013.
  • Includes Tracking
• First-Class Letter
  • 2-3 days delivery.
    • In many cases for letters and small packages.
  • Values ​​vary by size and weight, but not distance.
    • Postcards (5 "ÃÆ'â €" 3,5 "ÃÆ'â €" 0.007 to 6 "ÃÆ'â €" 4,25 "ÃÆ'â €" 0.016 "[127 ÃÆ'â €" 89 ÃÆ'â € "0.18 to 152 ÃÆ'â € "108 ÃÆ'â €" 0,4 mm]): 35 Â ¢
    Letter
    • (up to 11.5 "ÃÆ'â €" 6,125 "ÃÆ'â €" 0.25 ", 3.5 oz [292 × 156 × 6.4mm, 100g]): 50 ¢ 21 ¢ ¢ for each additional ounce
    • Large or Flat Envelopes (up to 15 "ÃÆ'â €" 12 "ÃÆ'â €" 0.75 ", 13 oz [381 × 305 × 19mm, 370g]): 90 Ã, Â ± 21 Â ¢ Each additional ounce (28 g) Must be rectangular, uniformly thick, and not too stiff.
    • Package/Parcel (Length up to 108 inches (270 cm) plus thickness, 13 ounces (370 g): $ 1.95 17Ã, Â ¢ every additional ounce (28 g) more than 3 ounces (84 g))
• USPS Retail Ground (previously Package Post)
  • The slowest but cheapest service for either too large or heavy packages for First Class - using surface transport.
  • 2-9 days service to the nearest US, 4-14 days internal to AK/HI/region, 3-6 weeks between land and remote areas (boat trip).
  • Price variables by weight, size, and distance.
  • Free forwarding if the recipient has submitted an address change form, or returns if the item can not be delivered.
• Media Mail - formerly "Book Rate"
  • Books and only recorded media.
  • No ads.
  • Prices are based on weight only.
  • Transit time is similar to Package Post.
  • Cheaper than Package Post but only because of increased restrictions on package content.
• Library Mail
  • Similar to Media Mail, but cheaper and limited to academic institutions, public libraries, museums, etc.

The Post Office will not ship packages that weigh more than 70 pounds (32 kg) or if the length (the longest dimension of the packet) plus the thickness (measurement around the pack at its largest point in two shorter dimensions) is greater

Source of the article : Wikipedia