Complete Story
05/20/2020
PRINTING United Alliance Addresses New USPS Postmaster General Appointment
Source: Amanda Kliegl, PRINTING United Alliance, May 14, 2020
PRINTING United Alliance, the largest and most comprehensive member-based printing and graphic arts association in the United States, today addresses the appointment of Louis DeJoy, the 75th Postmaster General of the United States and Chief Executive Officer of the world’s largest postal organization. DeJoy, who is expected to assume the position on June 15, will succeed Postmaster General Megan Brennan, who announced her retirement in October 2019.
According to the United States Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors, DeJoy becomes the fifth Postmaster General to join the institution from the private sector since the Postal Service became an independent establishment within the Executive Branch in 1971.
“PRINTING United Alliance welcomes the news of the selection of Mr. Louis DeJoy to serve as the next Postmaster General of the USPS,” says Lisbeth Lyons, Vice President of Government Affairs, PRINTING United Alliance. “The USPS is a critical delivery channel for printed products. It is exciting to welcome a Postmaster General with substantive private sector experience in the supply chain logistics marketplace."
The public and private sector mailing economy, of which printing companies are an integral piece of the supply chain, generates $1.6 trillion in sales and supports 7.5 million private sector jobs. The viability of the USPS and the success of the commercial printing industry are inextricably tied, so therefore a healthy, sustainable USPS is incumbent to the future success of the commercial printing industry.
DeJoy’s appointment as Postmaster General comes at a pivotal time for the nation and for the agency. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the USPS and its workers have been on the “front line” reliably delivering essential goods such as medicine, packaged consumer products, educational resources for home schooling, election materials, and even printed pieces publicizing the government’s public health messages related to COVID-19. The USPS’ universal service mission to deliver to every household in America — always important for rural areas, senior citizens and populations without internet access — is especially vital at this time.
Like many business sectors, the USPS is facing volume and revenue losses due to the pandemic-induced standstill of the economy. These losses compound financial burdens that were facing USPS pre-COVID-19 and which Congress was in the process of addressing through legislative reform. Lyons says that it is PRINTING United Alliance’s hope that DeJoy will work in partnership with the printing industry to champion legislative reform in his new role.
“PRINTING United Alliance would also like to recognize the leadership of the current Postmaster General, Megan Brennan, who has always maintained an open-door policy with the private sector as we worked together to achieve solutions for the long-term sustainability of the USPS,” says Lyons. “We welcome Mr. DeJoy into the mailing industry, and are eager to work alongside him to further strengthen the USPS.”
