Hasn’t electronics taken over the role of most time sensitive communication?
To me the USPS is very much like newspapers, except because of the unionized govt workforce they can’t restructure fast enough to meet their diminished role.
My impression is that it is much less the unions that are an impediment than it is Congress. The USPS has, for years, had a plan to close thousands of small, rural post offices. Congress refused to give permission because Congress-critters don't want to hear the complaints from their rural constituents.
This year, the USPS planned on closing several dozen sorting and processing plants. In this area, for example, Buffalo was going to close and all of Western New York's mail would be processed through the larger and more modern Rochester facility.
Senator Schumer and the local congressional delegation effectively nixed that, too. So, in this case, I wouldn't blame the unions. The Post Office operates under its own labor laws and union membership isn't compulsory. In my small office, the rural carrier, the Postmaster, and I [clerk] do not belong to the union.
The Post Office is a funny beast. It operates without tax money [unlike GM or AMTRAK, for example] but still is subject to Congressional meddling. And, yes, First Class mail is declining rapidly, but is still considerable.
Bulk mail [so-called junk mail] is growing and the package business is growing rapidly. That is probably the future of the USPS. Priority Mail is quick and about 60% the price of UPS of FedEx. Yet it's quite profitable.
“..........The Post Office is a funny beast. It operates without tax money [unlike GM or AMTRAK, for example] but still is subject to Congressional meddling......”
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Yes, Congress wanted to make it largely a self-funded organization but constantly refuse to allow it to make all the adjustments that are appropriate in its current business situation. The USPS should be allowed to close offices where that is called for and limit 6 day delivery where that is appropriate. Let it compete—if it goes bankrupt, it goes bankrupt and reorganized under bankruptcy laws.