WASHINGTON, March 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Postmaster General and CEO Louis DeJoy today provided details of the next phase of organizational changes he first announced in August 2020, designed to improve efficiency, drive success and better serve Postal Service customers.

The next phase of these organizational changes includes the following:

• District Consolidation Plan: The existing 67 Postal Service Districts will be consolidated to 50 Districts. New District territories will closely align to state boundaries. Districts will align with the communities the Postal Service serves and provide familiar boundaries for employees, customers and stakeholders.
• Centralization of Marketing functions: The Marketing functions previously performed at the Area and District levels will be centralized into the Chief Customer and Marketing organization, including Consumer and Industry Affairs and the Bulk Mail Entry Units (BMEUs).  In May, the District Retail function will be centralized into the Headquarters Retail and Delivery function.  In the interim, the Retail teams will be assigned under one of the 50 District Managers.
• Realignment of Logistics and Processing Operations: To ensure alignment with Retail and Delivery Operations, and Logistics and Processing Operations, a thirteenth division will be created.  Processing operations is organized into 2 regions, each geographically aligned with two retail and delivery areas; and divided into 6 or 7 divisions for a total of 13 divisions.  Logistics is organized into 4 regions, each geographically aligned to one retail and delivery area; and divided into 3 or 4 divisions for a total of 13 divisions. No divisions or regions will span across more than one area.

“These organizational changes will strengthen our mission and commitment to serve the American people by improving efficiency and streamlining decision making throughout the organization,” said Postmaster General DeJoy. “By improving operational focus and business strategy execution along with greater investment, we will strengthen our public service mission, achieve service excellence, and place the Postal Service on a path toward financial sustainability.”

DeJoy continued, “Since 2007, we have recorded significant net losses each year. Absent substantial changes, our financial losses will continue to widen, and our ability to invest in the future of the organization will be severely curtailed.”

Over the next two months, the Postal Service will be engaged in specific activities to complete the staffing changes for the final phase of the organizational restructure. The announcement of the final structure and staffing is planned for May 2021.  

As a part of the Postal Service’s reduction-in-force (RIF) avoidance activities, it is offering a Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) option to most eligible non-bargaining employees at Headquarters, Headquarters-related, Area and District offices. VER provides an option for employees to consider as the Postal Service moves through this phase of the organizational restructure. The VER offer will not include a separation incentive and has an effective date of April 30, 2021.

The previous organizational change phases created three core business functions, centralized administrative support functions at the area and district level into Headquarters and aligned the core business functions into four areas within Retail and Delivery Operations and two regions within Logistics and Processing Operations. 

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. Postal Service announced today it awarded a 10-year contract to Oshkosh, WI, based Oshkosh Defense, to manufacture a new generation of U.S.-built postal delivery vehicles that will drive the most dramatic modernization of the USPS fleet in three decades.

The historic investment is part of a soon-to-be-released plan the Postal Service has developed to transform its financial performance and customer service over the next 10 years through significant investments in people, technology and infrastructure as it seeks to become the preferred delivery service provider for the American public.

Under the contract’s initial $482 million investment, Oshkosh Defense will finalize the production design of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) — a purpose-built, right-hand-drive vehicle for mail and package delivery — and will assemble 50,000 to 165,000 of them over 10 years. The vehicles will be equipped with either fuel-efficient internal combustion engines or battery electric powertrains and can be retrofitted to keep pace with advances in electric vehicle technologies. The initial investment includes plant tooling and build-out for the U.S. manufacturing facility where final vehicle assembly will occur.

The contract is the first part of a multi-billion-dollar 10-year effort to replace the Postal Service’s delivery vehicle fleet, one of the world’s largest. The Postal Service fleet has more than 230,000 vehicles in every class, including both purpose-built and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) vehicles. Approximately 190,000 deliver mail six, and often seven, days a week in every U.S. community. The NGDV, along with other COTS vehicles, will replace and expand the current delivery fleet, which includes many vehicles that have been in service for 30 years.

The first NGDVs are estimated to appear on carrier routes in 2023.

“As the American institution that binds our country together, the U.S. Postal Service can have a bright and modern future if we make investments today that position us for excellence tomorrow,” said Postmaster General and USPS Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy. “The NGDV program expands our capacity for handling more package volume and supports our carriers with cleaner and more efficient technologies, more amenities, and greater comfort and security as they deliver every day on behalf of the American people.”

The NGDV vehicles will include air conditioning and heating, improved ergonomics, and some of the most advanced vehicle technology — including 360-degree cameras, advanced braking and traction control, air bags, a front- and rear-collision avoidance system that includes visual, audio warning, and automatic braking. The vehicles will also have increased cargo capacity to maximize efficiency and better accommodate higher package volumes stemming from the growth of eCommerce.

“Our fleet modernization also reflects the Postal Service’s commitment to a more environmentally sustainable mix of vehicles,” DeJoy said. “Because we operate one of the largest civilian government fleets in the world, we are committed to pursuing near-term and long-term opportunities to reduce our impact on the environment.”

The Postal Service awarded the Oshkosh Defense contract in accordance with competitive Postal Service procurement policies after extensive testing of prototype vehicles, evaluation of offered production proposals, and discussions of technical specifications with the offerors.

The award is an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, meaning that after an initial dollar commitment, the Postal Service will have the ongoing ability to order more NGDV over a fixed period of time, in this case,10 years. Oshkosh Defense is evaluating which of their several U.S. manufacturing locations is best suited to potentially increase the production rate of the NGDV.

Video remarks featuring Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and other Postal Service executives, and an image of the new NGDV are available on the USPS Newsroom.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — You’re very nearly there! It’s the last week to get those holiday gifts and greetings in the mail by the recommended deadlines. Dec. 14 – 21 is expected to be the Postal Service’s busiest week of the holiday mailing and shipping season.

This has been an extraordinary year of unprecedented challenges given the COVID-19 pandemic — and the Postal Service is expecting significant increases in the volume of mail and packages. Sunday delivery has been expanded in select high package volume locations, and the agency already delivers packages on Sundays in most major cities. Mail carriers will also deliver Priority Mail Express packages for an additional fee on Christmas Day in select locations.

Wrap it Up Without Leaving Home
If you prefer to handle shipping your gifts online, the Postal Service has you covered. You can easily ship that holiday gift, order free Priority Mail boxes, print shipping labels, purchase postage and even request free next-day Package Pickup from usps.com and our Click-N-Ship feature. An added bonus is, usps.com is always open.

2020 Holiday Shipping Deadlines
The Postal Service recommends the following mailing and shipping deadlines for expected delivery by Dec. 25 to Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office and domestic addresses*:

• Dec. 15 — USPS Retail Ground service
• Dec. 18 — APO/FPO/DPO (except ZIP Code 093) USPS Priority Mail Express service
• Dec. 18 — First-Class Mail service (including greeting cards)
• Dec. 18 — First-class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
• Dec. 19 — Priority Mail service
• Dec. 23 — Priority Mail Express* service

Alaska

• Dec. 18 — Alaska to/from Continental U.S. First-Class Mail
• Dec. 19 — Alaska to/from Continental U.S. Priority Mail
• Dec. 21 — Alaska to/from Continental U.S. Priority Mail Express

Hawaii

• Dec. 15 — Hawaii to/from mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
• Dec. 21 — Hawaii to/from mainland Priority Mail Express

*Not a guarantee, unless otherwise noted. Dates are for estimated delivery before Dec. 25. Actual delivery date may vary depending on origin, destination, Post Office acceptance date and time and other conditions. Some restrictions apply. For Priority Mail Express shipments mailed Dec. 22 through Dec. 25, the money-back guarantee applies only if the shipment was not delivered, or delivery was not attempted, within two (2) business days.

Additional Tips
The Postal Service also offers shipping tips in 10 video “how to” guides. Each video is less than three minutes long and shows how to address packages, ship packages and pack a box so items arrive safely.

Additional news and information, including all domestic, international and military mailing, and shipping deadlines, can be found at the Postal Service Holiday Newsroom: usps.com/holidaynews.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.