"...UPS Mail Innovations is notifying customers of price increases as it adapts to rate changes from the U.S. Postal Service.
“To align our pricing with the cost to serve, some account-specific adjustments are necessary,” a May 1 letter to customers viewed by Supply Chain Dive said. “Your UPS sales team will provide information specific to your account.”..."
"...After increasing the price of a first-class postage stamp to 68 cents in January, the U.S. Postal Service is planning to increase the cost again in the coming days. The USPS will bump the cost of a first-class Forever stamp to 73 cents on July 14..."
"...The price of first-class Forever stamps will increase from 68 cents to 73 cents on July 14, an increase of more than 7%. Prices for all services will rise more than 7.5%.
The price hikes are part of the USPS 10-year "Delivering for America" plan ..."
"...The U.S. Postal Service made its price hike official Friday, raising the price of stamps from 68 cents to 73 cents. Five years ago, stamps cost 50 cents, making this latest price hike a 36% increase. ..."
"...the agency reported a loss of $6.5 billion, a major step backward after USPS leaders had predicted it would break even. ...Mail volume across the U.S. declined almost 9%, with the number of mailed items falling to about 116 billion, compared with 127 billion the previous year. ...the historical inflationary environment we encountered and our inability to obtain the [Civil Service Retirement System] reform we sought, ..."Twice-annual, above-inflation postage hikes are worsening the USPS' financial woes and trapping it in quicksand, as even more mail is driven out of the system," Keep US Posted Executive Director Kevin Yoder, a former Congressman from Kansas, said in a statement. "
"...The Office of Personnel Management has extended the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) contract with the John Hancock Life and Health Insurance Co. for seven years.
Under the new contract, a rate increase will be needed for many current enrollees because the current FLTCIP premiums are not sufficient to meet the program’s future projected obligations.
Each affected enrollee will receive a package that will include an introductory letter, a return envelope, an informational brochure and a benefit options worksheet with detailed information about the enrollee’s current coverage and options to change coverage.
These packages were mailed in mid-September.
The deadline for enrollees to submit a selection is Nov. 9.
...The decision period is for affected FLTCIP enrollees only. This is is not a general open season because in December, the Office of Personnel Management suspended new applications for FLTCIP coverage for two years."
"...USPS has notified the Postal Regulatory Commission of mailing services price changes to take effect Jan. 21, 2024. The proposed adjustments, approved by the governors of the Postal Service, would raise mailing services product prices approximately 2 percent. The proposed changes include..."
"United Auto Workers (UAW) members made history when they walked off the job in targeted strikes after their contracts with the “Big Three” (Ford, General Motors and Stellantis – the parent company of Chrysler) expired without new negotiated union contracts. ...“I urge every postal worker to support this critical struggle. Their just fight to overcome years of concessionary “giveback” bargaining: to restore lost COLA, remove divisive two-tier pay and benefit scales, ensure good retirement benefits for all auto workers and a shorter work week with no loss in pay, are fair demands,” said President Mark Dimondstein. “I encourage all our members to participate in rallies in support of the auto workers, join the picket lines in your areas, and sign the “All in” petition below, and spread it through social media. When auto workers win their just demands, it will be a victory for all workers." For more information, visit https://uaw.org/standwithus/."