For the US Postal Service, 2020 has hardly ever been a dull moment. As if the stormy tenure of new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the controversial service changes and their impact on mail-in voting, the barrage of Covid-fueled package volume, and the plunge in letter and flat mail volume weren't all enough, on Nov. 30th, the Postal Regulatory Commission issued its final review in its 10-year review of postal rate-making. As we've been warning, it's potentially catastrophic news for catalog mailers, as future postage rates for flats could skyrocket. That potentially game-changing news came less than two weeks after the USPS announced a significant shake-up in its executive ranks. And all of this comes on the eve of another postal rate hike taking effect in late January. In a 60-minute web meeting on Tuesday, December 15th at 1:00 pm EST, the ACMA will host a panel of experts to not only dig into what's taking place but also what you as a merchant can do going forward. Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtd-2uqDIqH90u-NsYNBS7_KqUq6SOL7OX Moderated by ACMA President & Executive Director Hamilton Davison (below left), the panel will also include Matthew Field (center). A partner with Venable LLP, Mr. Field is a knowledgeable regulatory counselor and skilled litigator who represents clients in highly regulated industries with extensive experience in postal and energy regulation. He'll be joined by ACMA's Postal Economist Robert Mitchell (right). Mr. Mitchell's career in postal affairs dates back more than 45 years. He had a lengthy tenure as principal economist with the USPS, then become special assistant to the Commission at the then-Postal Rate Commission. Over the past 18 years, he has served as a postal consultant, the last 12 advising the ACMA. Members of ACMA's Postal Committee will also be on hand. There are a limited number of spots available for this webinar (via Zoom meeting) so register soon. All ACMA members are welcome. Non-members are eligible, but pending demand levels, some registrations may be declined in favor of members and will be taken in order received so register now.

FY2023 first quarter service performance scores covering Oct. 1 through Nov. 18 included: *First-Class Mail: 92.2 percent of First-Class Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, a slight decrease of 0.9 percentage points from the fiscal fourth quarter. *Marketing Mail: 94.1 percent of Marketing Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, a slight decrease of 0.6 percentage points from the fiscal fourth quarter. *Periodicals: 86.6 percent of Periodicals delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the fiscal fourth quarter.

On July 27, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) put a new rule into effect that allows employee benefit plan administrators to use an electronic “notice-and-access” disclosure system as the default method of communication, making it much more difficult for millions of Americans who currently receive critical, paper-based information about their 401k, pension and retirement plans to access this information. This includes information called for under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), including quarterly benefits statements, plan summaries and plan changes. This new rule puts many at a disadvantage, particularly the 10% of Americans who say they do not use the internet. According to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey, the size of this group has changed little in recent years, despite ongoing government and social service programs to encourage internet adoption in underserved areas. Among those most disadvantaged by this new rule are senior citizens, (27% of whom do not use the internet), low-income families, people with disabilities and those living in rural or other areas with little or no access to the internet.