If you mailed a letter across Dallas on Friday, it might not have reached its destination until Wednesday. That’s because, as of Oct. 1, the U.S. Postal Service has implemented changes that will slow down the mail. While we’re not thrilled about delays, we welcome this news as evidence of reform at an agency that badly needs to adjust to the current economy.
Under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s strategic restructuring plan, first-class mail will take as much as a day longer to reach its destination, though the added time won’t be uniform across the country. According to an analysis by The Washington Post, the longest delays will be west of the Rocky Mountains and in some parts of Florida and South Texas. In Dallas-Fort Worth, customers can expect service about a half-day slower than in the past.
The plan is part of DeJoy’s efforts to keep the Postal Service solvent, which is no easy lift. The agency faces a projected $160 billion deficit over the next decade. For fiscal year 2020, its net operating loss was $3.6 billion, which was $409 million more than the previous year, according to an April report from the Postal Regulatory Commission.
Some of the financial pressures faced by USPS are out of its hands. It doesn’t receive taxpayer funding and it’s not allowed to set its own prices. Plus, the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act required it to pre-fund 75 years’ worth of retiree health benefits in 10 years.
Any corporation that faced that level of financial shortfall would have long since gone the way of the Pony Express. So it’s only reasonable for DeJoy to make use of the management levers still available to him. Delivery times are a big one.
DeJoy is getting pushback on Capitol Hill from lawmakers who say the changes will drive away customers and erode the agency’s credibility. They are joined by a group of 21 attorneys general, led by Pennsylvania and New York. In our view, it’s a little late for those concerns. The USPS has taken its place alongside the department of motor vehicles as a poster child for bureaucratic complexity and poor customer service. And, to be honest, the Postal Service’s monopoly on cheap letter delivery is a big driver of its customer base.
If DeJoy’s plan works, the service will increase reliability. The agency hasn’t hit its internal standard of 96% on-time delivery for almost a decade. Currently, only 86% of two-day mail and 58% of three-plus-day mail is arriving on time, according to The Post’s reporting. DeJoy is trading speed for dependability here, which could earn back some customer trust in the long run.
This is an industry that has experienced foundational disruption in recent decades. Restrictions from Congress and competition from companies like FedEx, UPS and Amazon have eroded its business model.
Americans will have to adjust, especially older Americans and those who rely on the mail for critical things like medication.
DeJoy isn’t exactly an inspiring figure. He’s currently under investigation related to campaign financing.
But the USPS is long overdue for an overhaul, and he’s taking action. If we have to mail those Christmas cards a day earlier, that’s an adjustment we’re willing to make.
— The Dallas Morning News
