Contract talks began Thursday February 19, 2015, between USPS and the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), as reported the same day in a story by the Washington Post. The article examines two opposing perspectives regarding the means of stabilizing the financial condition of the United States Postal Service. Former Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe is described as focusing on cuts in services, while A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service (an organization recently formed by APWU President Mark Dimondstein) advocates expanded revenue through new services such as banking.
The Alliance brings together groups of consumers, farmers, civil rights activists and religious people who favor building on existing postal services and exploring new ones.
The USPS Inspector General has called financial services, “the single best new opportunity for … additional revenue [for the USPS].” Some projections claim the addition of such services would bring in $8.9 billion per year.
It was not clear whether new postmaster general Megan Brennan is in favor of additional postal services such as banking. Her statements during contract talks illustrate her concerns about the financial condition of the USPS, which faces challenges such as decreases in first-class mail volume and the competitiveness of the market for package delivery services. Despite that, she has not made known her position on possible revenue enhancements through additional service offerings.