DMA Statement Regarding USPS Transformation Plan
NEW YORK, April 5, 2002 – The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) today responded with optimism to the release of the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Transformation Plan.
"Based on an initial reading of the executive summary of a more-than 450-page document, we believe that the Postal Service intends to move forward immediately and in a direction that will help to put it on a more financially sound footing," said H. Robert Wientzen, president & CEO, The DMA.
"We are particularly pleased with Postmaster General Potter’s commitment to hold off on new rate increases until 2004, and we will work hard with the Postal Service to make its efforts more successful so that future rate increases can be pushed off even further," said Wientzen.
Among the specific actions contemplated in the plan that portend well for the USPS, include:
- Specific cost containment strategies in the short term
- A commitment to avoid rate increases until 2004
- A proactive approach to achieving added flexibility within the confines of existing laws
- A recognition that a true solution is tied to legislative postal reform
"The DMA agrees with the Postal Service that a lasting solution requires legislative reform. The DMA is hopeful that the plan can help the Postal Service better keep costs in check, but it must be said that even the best plan can only be pushing the edge of a 30-year-old legislative envelope," said Wientzen.
The DMA is the leading trade association for businesses interested in interactive and database marketing, with nearly 4,700 member companies from the United States and 53 other nations. Founded in 1917, its members include direct marketers from every business segment as well as the nonprofit and electronic marketing sectors. Included are catalogers, Internet retailers and service providers, financial services providers, book and magazine publishers, book and music clubs, retail stores, industrial manufacturers and a host of other vertical segments, including the service industries that support them. According to a DMA-commissioned study, direct and interactive marketing sales in the United States exceeded $1.86 trillion in 2001, including $118 billion in catalog sales and $30 billion in sales generated by the Internet. The DMA's Web site is
www.the-dma.org, and its consumer Web site is www.shopthenet.org.###