![]() ![]() The USPS has a monopoly on sending or carrying flat envelope mail, also known as first-class mail, and on delivering items to physical mailboxes. This worked all right for a few decades, but then the internet happened. Basically, the post office had to function less like a public service and more like a private business, but still uphold its public service obligations - like being beholden to requirements set by Congress and having to serve every American. In exchange for employees’ right to collectively bargain, Congress passed an act that changed the post office from a publicly funded cabinet department to a self-funded, independent agency. In 1970, following widespread wildcat strikes demanding better pay and safer working conditions, the post office was transformed. This differs from a private business, which has no obligation to deliver packages to places that aren’t worth the cost of transportation.īut the modern era has complicated the post office’s lofty ideals. That foundation permeates to this day, even as the institution has faced new financial challenges: An American living in rural Alaska doesn’t have to pay more to send a postcard than someone living in downtown Manhattan. This mandate set up the expectation that the post office should serve every American, regardless of class or location. It was, in the past, the only way that system of democracy could work.” was established as a system of spreading the news to as many people as quickly as possible, and communication with elected officials in D.C. “If I wanted to send a letter to you in 1815, it would be super expensive,” Pottroff said “But if I wanted to forward a newspaper to you, it would be super cheap. That means much of the original scaffolding of the institution - parts of which are still in place today - doesn’t jibe with more modern expectations for the service to turn a profit. Instead, its founders wanted to make an organization that could facilitate democracy, allowing constituents to communicate with and keep tabs on elected officials, according to Christy Pottroff, a literature professor at Boston College who researches the earliest days of the Postal Service. But it was not originally conceived as a business. The Postal Service has existed in some form or another since 1775, and it has always played a role in politics. ![]() Universal History Archive / Universal Images Group via Getty Images The USPS has come a long way since the early 20th century, but some of its founding principles remain. But the Postal Service has been facing challenges for years, many of which stem from the idiosyncrasies of being one of the nation’s oldest institutions. That was the state of the USPS right as its new postmaster general started implementing sweeping changes. I personally deliver several hundred Amazon packages a day.” “Everybody is stuck at home and they’re ordering online, either because they can’t leave the house or the local merchant isn’t open. “We are at holiday levels of mail,” said one mailcarrier, who asked not to be named because USPS employees have been advised not to speak to the media. In June, 71 percent more packaging was sent than in the year prior. While overall mail volume was lower during the spring and summer compared to the same time last year, the volume of packages surged. At the same time, people isolating at home started ordering necessities ( and non-necessities) online at a staggering rate. Between March and July, the volume of first-class mail like letters, bills and legal documents dropped off a cliff as businesses sought to cut expenses. COVID-19 changed a lot of things about everyday life, including how Americans use the post office. This prompted congressional investigations, lawsuits, a lot of political rhetoric, and even more public worry about whether the disruptions pose a threat to what will likely be the most mail-reliant election in history.īut the Postal Service isn’t struggling merely because of one new postmaster general’s changes - decades of events out of its control have positioned the agency to be particularly vulnerable when crisis struck.Ģ020 has seen little but crisis. Postal Service’s new postmaster general raised concerns about mail delays. Over the summer, operational changes implemented by the U.S.
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