As the U.S. Postal Service downsizes its network through consolidations and closures, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) recommends the agency provide the underused resources to federal, state, and municipal agencies. A move to optimize the estimated 24-percent excess space and retail transactional resources could potentially allow the Postal Service to expand citizens’ access to government departments, increase revenue, and potentially lower lease costs.
The recommendation was based on a recent, nationwide OIG review of excess Post Office™ resources and federal, state, and municipal agencies as well as interviews conducted with postmasters. OIG auditors also looked at a number of non-postal, government services the Postal Service currently provides, such as accepting passport applications, offering Selective Service registration, and renting excess space to government entities. Auditors determined that expanding these types of initiatives could lead to other mutually beneficially partnerships between the Postal Service and other government entities.
The Postal Service agreed in part with the OIG recommendation, specifically, as it related to federal agencies. The Postal Service plans to provide services to state and municipal agencies when it has the statutory authority. To read this report in its entirety, click here (PDF). Would you like to know what viewers had to say about the Postal Service providing its surplus resources to government agencies? Click “21st Century Post Office: Opportunities to Share Excess Resources,” to read the blog and its related comments at Pushing the Envelope, the OIG blog site.
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It is imperative to find new resources to bring in more revenue to the P.O. Consider this: Place large poster sized Advertisements on the side of Postal Delivery vehicles (the small LLV trucks that deliver mail to both “park and loop” and curbside routes) It would take min. time to mount signs on vehicles and since they are Widley Visable to the public,would provide great exposure to the Advertiser. Advertising on publick Buses works for the Bus Co.’s ,why not the USPS?
How about installing WiFi networks in all rural offices. Customers could order stuff over the internet and pick up orders received.
A semi national, free WiFi system would benefit the citizens of this country tremendously. The 1000s of remote POs are ideal to start this system.
I also have heard suggestions of a postal bank. For small time customers this could be a boon.
Serving the citizens of our country, offering services to our citizens, is the purpose of enlightened Government. I would like to see enlightened politicians promote enlightened and beneficial services to our citizens. This is an idea worth discussing.
National Executive Board Votes Down VER Incentives
http://www.apwu.org/about/directory-officers.htm
http://burrusjournal.org/page4.php?post=151
(08/02/12) The National Executive Board (NEB- Guffey,Greg Bell, Elizabeth Powell, Mike Morris, Rob Strunk, Steve Raymer, Sharon Stone, John Dirzius, Mike Gallagher, Robert Pritchard, Princella V ogel etc., at the direction of Cliff Guffey, have voted to take the hard line stance and only negotiate the incentives when the USPS follows the contract, time now will be spent on preparing Cliff Guffey’s speeches at the national Convention and ordering the menu, making Air and Hotel reservations for the big LA Party, Guffey was quoted as saying “Enough is enough with this VER and Incentives, we want to save jobs and union dues, the members will have to bite the bullet on excessing and becoming Mail Handlers or Carriers, we have bigger fish to fry, as the President I have to make these decisions with the Executive board, and they back me 100%, some day you will understand why it is those who still have a future in the USPS, that we have to fight for”. . [full story]
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