Author Archives: Charles Guy, Ph.D.
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USPS Rolls Over in Negotiations — Again
August 6, 2007- Charles Guy, Ph.D. Article Published in the Federal Times The U.S. Postal Service and one of its largest unions, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), just reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract. Union head William Young called the agreement [Read More...] -
Postal Service Delivers (For Unions)
February 28, 2007- Charles Guy, Ph.D. Article Published in the Newark Star-Ledger Brace yourself. Postal rates are about to go up again – by a whopping 7.6 percent, on average, in May. First-class stamps will cost 41 cents. Despite all the cheering over postal reform legislation [Read More...] -
Postal Service Could Learn A Lot From GM
September 25, 2006- Charles Guy, Ph.D. Issue Brief Unions were created to serve an important purpose — to protect workers’ rights and safety. But in their zeal to negotiate as many benefits as possible, some may be hurting the very employees they represent. Workers in the [Read More...] -
Postal Service Must Cut Costs, Not Just Raise Stamp Prices
May 6, 2006- Charles Guy, Ph.D. Op Ed Published in the Chicago Sun Times It’s been only four months since the cost of a stamp increased from 37 to 39 cents – and the Postal Service already has plans to raise prices even higher. Postmaster General [Read More...] -
Why (and How) the Postal Service Must Bring Costs Under Control
March 23, 2006- Charles Guy, Ph.D. Issue Brief The Postal Service’s quarterly financial reports over the last three years show a consistent storyline: A steady decline in the volume of first class mail, accompanied by a steady increase in productivity. Much credit is due to Postmaster [Read More...] -
The Postal Service’s Eminently Absurd Powers
August 28, 2005- Charles Guy, Ph.D. Article Published in www.AFFBrainWash.com Much criticism of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on eminent domain has focused on the narrow circumstances of the case: The court has allowed the City of New London, Connecticut, to seize homes from families and [Read More...] -
Who Cares How the Postal Service Spends $12 Billion?
August 5, 2005- Charles Guy, Ph.D. ssue Brief It’s long been discussed by Postal Service observers that the agency’s penchant for secrets has created a long-standing financial transparency problem. But things may have just gotten a whole lot worse. Postal Service management recently announced new procurement [Read More...] -
How a Regional Pay Scale Could Save the Postal Service
May 18, 2005- Charles Guy, Ph.D. Issue Brief The U.S. Postal Service faces a troubling financial future. Both the GAO and a Presidential commission concluded that it must be substantially reformed to reduce the risk of taxpayer bailouts or dramatic price increases. For federal policymakers seeking [Read More...] -
Postal Service Procurement Rules Must Provide More Oversight
August 23, 2004- Charles Guy, Ph.D. Op Ed Published in the Federal Times Every year, the U.S. Postal Service spends close to $12 billion on goods and services. With that kind of money in play, entire businesses — from supplies to mail transport to construction — [Read More...] -
House Plan Gets Postal Reform Moving, But Does It Get It Right?
May 21, 2004- Charles Guy, Ph.D. Issue Brief The postal reform legislation that passed the House Government Reform Committee last week clearly offers several worthwhile improvements: the creation of a Postal Regulatory Commission with substantial oversight authority is perhaps the most valuable of these. It is [Read More...]