Orlando, FL—In his final keynote address as postmaster general, William Henderson hinted that the new rate case that the U.S. Postal Service has said it will propose this summer might not come to be.
Without revealing any details, Henderson said, “We’re not taking a potential rate hike as a given just yet. I’ve asked deputy postmaster general John Nolan to explore alternatives to filing a double-digit rate hike this year.”
The USPS has said it would file for another rate increase this summer; the subsequent rate hike would take effect just a year and a half after this past January’s postage increase. “I know many of you have said there may be other options here,” Henderson said. “And John is going to help us take a close look at them.”
After the speech, Gene Del Polito, president of the Arlington, VA-based Association for Postal Commerce (PostCom), called the Henderson comment “real news, but I really don’t think he knows just what those alternatives will be.” Added PostCom attorney Ian Volner, “One thing that mailers have been trying to get the USPS to do is have consistent annual increases rather than periodic big ones.”