The concern is that "when mail service slows, people use the mail less," said Porter McConnell, co-founder of the Save the Post Office Coalition. "By doing so, the Postal Service can entrust its ground network to deliver more (first-class mail), which will lead to greater consistency, reliability, and efficiency that benefits its customers." "The Postal Service will increase time-in-transit standards by 1 or 2 days for certain mail that are traveling longer distances," said USPS spokesman David Coleman.
In the past, the agency had a standard of delivering all first-class mail in three days.īut most first-class mail (61%) and periodicals (93%) will be unaffected by these changes, while single-piece first-class mail within a local area will still arrive in two days, USPS says. Overall, 70% of the first-class mail volume should arrive in between 1-3 days. Now USPS has a four- or five-day standard for mail traveling 931 miles or more. We can’t undo that progress by making prices uncompetitive.”Ĭonnolly references concerns about the change in standards for first-class mail delivery times that went into effect in Oct. "We just passed Postal Reform to restore financial stability to the Postal Service. Gerry Connolly , D-Va., agrees. “Postmaster General DeJoy’s plan to raise prices while degrading service is a recipe for disaster," he said in a statement to USA TODAY. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., who chairs the House Oversight Committee.Ī member of that committee, Rep.
Members of Congress differ. Before approving the rate increase, the Postal Regulatory Commission should consider how the passage of the postal reform legislation has changed the financial situation of the USPS, said Rep. "They do not need these excessive rate hikes now," Kearney said. The Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, along with the Association for Postal Commerce, petitioned the Postal Regulatory Commission last month to reconsider the USPS' rate increase leeway. The Postal Service will likely seek another price increase of 3% to 5% in January, but Kearney's organization opposes the current and future ones. Postmaster General DeJoy has said they are needed. Now, she's behind bars.Įarlier this year, USPS raised rates on Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express by 2.7% (rates starting at $7.37, up from $7.16) and 4.3% (starting at $23.50, previously $22.75). Good Samaritans: Video shows strangers saving Florida woman who had a medical episode while drivingĬold case: She told police 26 years ago a Black man killed her boyfriend. Retired postal employees now are required to enroll in Medicare. That comes primarily from ending the requirement of the USPS paying into a health benefit fund for current and retired employees for 75 years into the future. In addition to ensuring six-day-a-week mail delivery, the new law is expected to save the agency an estimated $50 billion over the next decade, DeJoy said. The USPS proposed the rate increase a month ago, on April 6, the same day President Biden signed the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, legislation meant to bolster the agency, which has faced financial challenges as well as stiff competition from shippers such FedEx and UPS. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said May 5 he expected the Postal Service to continue to raise prices "at an uncomfortable rate" until the agency becomes self-sufficient. And that may not be the only price hike in the near future. Postal Service is expected to increase prices in July, raising the cost of a Forever stamp from 58 cents to 60 cents. A particularly nice example might sell for more than the amount listed, while a poor copy might be worth less.The U.S. The prices listed here are for well centered, undamaged stamps.
The value of an individual stamp is dependent on its centering and condition. Use these values as a guideline for evaluating the reasonableness of dealer prices, setting up trades with other collectors, and estimating the worth of your collection. They are derived from numerous sources such as dealer price lists, advertisements in philatelic publications, and public auction results. stamps are provided as a service to Hobbizine readers.