ACMA Needs Help to Challenge Damaging 10-Year Postal Review

Dear Industry Member:

Hopefully, you attended ACMA’s Postal Nightmare web event this week (though if you did not, I encourage you to click here to view the replay) and you better understand the grave implications of the PRC’s recent Order on the 10-Year Review. Our discussion clearly illustrated the challenges all users of the mail are experiencing right now. We also laid out the concrete steps we can take to forestall, ameliorate, reduce or manage the steep climb of mailing costs we are facing.

This truly needs a widespread industry response now; otherwise, 2021 will surely begin the death spiral for mail. It is stunning that officials in Washington have demonstrated such disregard for the realities of our operating businesses, seeking only more money from business mailers to sop up the rapidly-expanding costs for the benefit of the nation.

view the replay at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhCCZ6muo3M . Click Read More for additional key information

The industrywide response to the 10-Year Review will likely have to include these elements:

  1. litigation to halt or modify the damaging impact of the recent Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) order;
  2. aggressive, widespread constituent outreach to Congress seeking action on long-stalled reform to America’s postal system, and addressing unfunded mandates currently paid for by mailers;
  3. and building on recent media interest in the subject, and a targeted public relations and grassroots campaign to reinforce item 2 above so that all mailers, their suppliers, their employees and families are fully engaged (and enraged) over the sorry state of the US Postal Service.

The alternative is unfathomable: Not only will your postal costs rise 30% to 50% over the next five to 10 years, but you will not know about it with more than three months’ advance notice, making it virtually impossible to properly manage your business.

Obviously, this will take resources and a modicum of executive time.

Our Ask & Your Need
Donate generously to ACMA’s Postal Action Fund to fuel a strong pushback to this outrageous development. Given the magnitude of the situation, donations and activism are also vitally needed from both ACMA members and non-members. We have less than 30 days to challenge this in court. We must mount the GR and PR activities immediately. ACMA plans collaborative activities with other business mail associations but ACMA must have funding to play a leadership role in this effort to make sure that unique catalog issues are addressed.

Make no mistake that without the will and the means, you and everyone will be facing the beginning of the death spiral for mail. To be clear, ACMA does not currently have the ability to affect change without your strong support and follow through.

Your immediate step: (a) write a check to the ACMA war chest (again, click here or send us a note with your pledge and we’ll follow up) and (b) start building / strengthening your presence with your elected officials. (Whether you’re a member or not, I urge you to contact us for specifics on how best to do this.) Ask everyone else what they are doing to address this gigantic threat.

Otherwise, without strong action now, it’s a virtual guarantee that you will face multiple, compounding annual or semi-annual postal rate hikes that make 2007 look like a sideshow.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Hamilton Davison
President & Executive Director
American Catalog Mailers Association
hdavison@catalogmailers.org

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