The Postal Service lost $2.8 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2008. This year, the Postal Service is concerned its loss could grow to $6 billion or more. Since the Postal Service is limited by law from borrowing more than $3 billion per year and the Postal Service started 2009 with only $1.4 billion cash on hand, there is a danger the Postal Service could face a liquidity problem as payroll and benefits alone are about $54 billion a year.
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More than 31 million ballots were expected to have been mailed in the recent 2008 election — nearly twice as many as in 2004. Voting by mail has expanded as more states offer “no excuses” absentee ballots or conduct elections through the mail. Oregon has voted by mail since 1998 and has saved 30 percent of its election costs by eliminating polling places.
A recent presentation by Deutsche Post describes the German delivery and logistics company’s efforts to transform its retail network. One particularly interesting innovation is self-service Packstations. Like the U.S. Postal Service’s APCs (Automated Postal Centers), these kiosks allow customers to ship packages. However, Packstations also provide 24-hour access for parcel pickup. Customers can register to receive their packages at any packstation in the country. When the package arrives, the recipient receives an e-mail or text message.
As we start a new year, those of us helping on the Office of Inspector General blog thought it would be fun to reflect on the past year and pick our top 10 list of postal stories from 2008. We would like to hear your views. Take a look at the list and tell us what you like or don’t like. Tell us about any stories we missed and add whatever comments you think appropriate. In particular, we would like to know your pick of the top postal story for 2008, so take a minute and vote for the most important story by participating in the poll below.
Data use is critical for all aspects of the U.S. Postal Service’s operations, including determining costs and setting prices. That’s why data systems need to be accurate and reliable.
Our recent audit...
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In fiscal year 2018, the OIG hotline was contacted 96,252 times, almost double the number from the year before. Yet many of those complaints don’t actually fall within our jurisdiction and so we pass them along to the Postal Service.
We established the hotline two decades ago to receive...
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Highway contract routes (HCR) are the largest single group of contracts in the U.S. Postal Service, with about $3.5 billion spent in fiscal year (FY) 2018. HCR drivers move mail between post offices and other designated stops.
Given the large amount of money the Postal Service spends on...
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The Postal Service implements environmental and physical security controls at its facilities to reduce the risk of system and equipment failure, damage from environmental hazards, and unauthorized access to its IT and mail processing assets. Measures include fire alarms, suppression systems,...
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The Postal Service has seen a continuous increase in package volumes over the past few years. As more people shop online, package delivery service will continue to grow. Delivering a package on the first attempt is vital to the Postal Service’s ability to serve its customers efficiently.
...
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The mission of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is to support and protect the Postal Service and its employees, infrastructure, and customers; enforce the laws that defend the nation’s mail system from illegal or dangerous use; and ensure public trust in the mail.
Postal inspectors are...
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