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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk | contribs) at 11:19, 11 October 2023 (→‎Asking for correction in During Trump administration section: new section). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.


During the Trump administration updates

Hello again! I'm back with a request for updates to the During the Trump administration section. Within a subpage in user space, I've uploaded both the current version of the During the Trump administration section and a revised version that contains several edits I'm proposing. You can view the current vs. revised sections by following this link. You can easily spot differences between the current and revised versions by looking at the highlighted passages. Language that I have rewritten is highlighted in blue, and sentences I've moved are in yellow. My goal with these revisions is to improve the overall coherence of the section, and to clarify a handful of events described within it.

Editors may expand the table below to review my proposed changes item by item. Going left to right, you've got the current text of the section, my revised draft language (plus any new sourcing), and then notes on what I'm trying to accomplish with each edit.

During the Trump administration Section Updates
Current version Proposed change Comments
In May 2020, in a controversial move, President Trump appointed Louis DeJoy, the first postmaster general in the last two decades who had no prior experience within the United States Postal Service.[1] DeJoy—until 2014 CEO of New Breed Logistics (a controversial Postal Service contractor),[2] and until 2018 a board member its new parent, XPO Logistics, whose postal contracts expanded during DeJoy's postmaster general role—was a major donor and fundraiser for the Republican Party[3][4] (from 2017, a deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, until appointed postmaster general, and later million-dollar donor to the 2020 Trump campaign while postmaster general).[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] In May 2020, the bipartisan USPS Board of Governors appointed Louis DeJoy postmaster general.[10] He became the first postmaster general in nearly two decades who had no prior experience within the United States Postal Service.[11][1] From 1983 until 2014, DeJoy was CEO of New Breed Logistics and until 2018, he had been a board member of XPO Logistics, which merged with New Breed in 2015.[2] He was also a Republican party fundraiser.[2][8] Clarifies that DeJoy was appointed by a bipartisan USPS board and not Trump himself. Also reorganizes information on DeJoy's background prior to PMG appointment.
DeJoy immediately began taking measures to reduce costs, such as banning overtime and extra trips to deliver mail.[12][13][14] While DeJoy admitted that these measures were causing delays in mail delivery, he said they would eventually improve service.[15] Upon taking charge of the Postal Service, DeJoy began implementing measures to reduce costs, such as banning overtime and extra trips to deliver mail.[16][13][14] While DeJoy admitted that these measures were causing delays in mail delivery, he said they would eventually improve service.[17] The inspector general for the Postal Service opened an investigation into the effects of these measures.[18] Changes the first sentence to show that DeJoy began implementing changes soon after he was put in charge. Also incorporates the first sentence from paragraph eight and puts it at the bottom of paragraph four, slightly changing the passage to clear up potential confusion about what the IG investigation was related to.
Mail collection boxes were removed from the streets in many cities; after photos of boxes being removed were spread on social media, a postal service spokesman said they were being moved to higher traffic areas but that the removals would stop until after the election.[19] In the summer of 2020, the longstanding practice of removing mail collection boxes from low-traffic areas became a controversial issue, as photos of their removal spread on social media.[20][21] This practice had been ongoing for decades, due to the public's declining use of first-class mail.[22][21] More than 600 high-speed mail sorting machines were scheduled to be dismantled and removed from postal facilities,[23] raising concerns that mailed ballots for the November 3 election might not reach election offices on time.[24] Clarifies the passage on removal of mailboxes, as it is as a long-running practice and not the result of a new directive. Also pairs this passage to the already existing one about sorting machine decommission and fears of slowed mail delivery ahead of 2020 election, as they're related issues.
On August 16 the House of Representatives was called back from its summer recess to consider a bill rolling back all of the changes.[25] On August 16, 2020, the House of Representatives was called back from its summer recess to consider a bill rolling back USPS measures such as the decommissioning of sorting machines and ending of overtime pay.[25] Provides specifics on what the House considered when it was called back from recess in August 2020.

References

  1. ^ a b "Congress urges Postal Service to undo changes slowing mail". Associated Press. AP News. August 6, 2020. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Postal contracts awarded to DeJoy-run company were questioned in 2001 Postal Service audit". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Izaguirre, Anthony; Slodysko, Brian (August 20, 2020). "Embattled postal leader is Trump donor with deep GOP ties". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Armus, Teo (August 17, 2020). "As the House demands an interview with Postal Service chief Louis DeJoy, protesters picket his homes". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Desiderio, Andrew; Levine, Marianne; Lippman, Daniel (August 21, 2020). "DeJoy defends proposed changes amid Postal Service furor". Politico. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  6. ^ Estes, Adam Clark (August 7, 2020). "What's wrong with the mail". Vox. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  7. ^ Pierce, Charles P. (August 10, 2020). "Destroying the Postal Service Is the Most Republican Thing Trump Has Ever Done". Esquire. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Bernstein, Andrea; Marritz, Ilya (May 26, 2017). "The President, His Business Partner, and the Fundraiser". WNYC. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  9. ^ Finnegan, Daniel (May 7, 2020). "Lead fundraiser for Charlotte RNC named postmaster general. He starts in June". Triad Business Journal. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  10. ^ "Board of Governors Announces Selection of Louis DeJoy to Serve as Nation's 75th Postmaster General". United States Postal Service. May 6, 2020. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Sherman, Donald (July 19, 2020). "Trump's new postmaster general could corrupt a key institution ahead of Election Day". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  12. ^ Katz, Eric (July 20, 2020). "Looking to Cut Costs, New USPS Leader Takes Aim at Overtime and Late Trips". Government Executive. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Broadwater, Luke; Healy, Jack; Shear, Michael D.; Fuchs, Hailey (August 15, 2020). "Postal Crisis Ripples Across Nation as Election Looms". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Bogage, Jacob (July 14, 2020). "Postal Service memos detail 'difficult' changes, including slower mail delivery". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  15. ^ Gardner, Amy; Dawsey, Josh; Kane, Paul (August 13, 2020). "Trump opposes election aid for states and Postal Service bailout, threatening Nov. 3 vote". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  16. ^ Katz, Eric (July 20, 2020). "Looking to Cut Costs, New USPS Leader Takes Aim at Overtime and Late Trips". Government Executive. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  17. ^ Gardner, Amy; Dawsey, Josh; Kane, Paul (August 13, 2020). "Trump opposes election aid for states and Postal Service bailout, threatening Nov. 3 vote". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  18. ^ Segers, Grace (August 15, 2020). "U.S. Postal Service inspector general is investigating changes at post offices". CBS News. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  19. ^ Bogage, Jacob (August 14, 2020). "Postal Service will stop removing mailboxes". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  20. ^ Bogage, Jacob (August 14, 2020). "Postal Service will stop removing mailboxes". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  21. ^ a b Cortelessa, Eric (March 16, 2023). "Louis DeJoy's Surprising Second Act". Time Magazine. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  22. ^ Bogage, Jacob (August 14, 2020). "Postal Service will stop removing mailboxes". Washington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  23. ^ Gordon, Aaron (August 13, 2020). "The Post Office Is Deactivating Mail Sorting Machines Ahead of the Election". Vice. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  24. ^ Behrmann, Savannah (August 13, 2020). "What's going on with the post office? Here's what we know". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  25. ^ a b Cochrane, Emily; Edmondson, Catie (August 16, 2020). "Pelosi to Recall House for Postal Service Vote as Democrats Press for DeJoy to Testify". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.

I understand these proposed changes give editors a lot of consider. If I can be of any help, in terms of providing further clarity or answering specific questions, please let me know. Thanks in advance! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 21:06, 1 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Asking User:Coolcaesar if they would like to review this edit request and/or the one below, since they contributed some good information about S&DCs a couple months ago. Caesar, if you've got any interest, please take a look. If not, no worries. Thanks! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 16:57, 26 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I am sorry, but due to the section's very sensitive nature, I am declining this request. Quetstar (talk) 00:54, 20 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Hey User:Quetstar! First, I'll say thanks for reviewing my request. I appreciate your taking the time.
I know this is touchy material and I have a COI, which is why I've been careful to put forward claims that hew very closely to what the cited sourcing says. I've obviously exercised a degree of editorial discretion, in terms of how I've organized the information in my proposed edits, but my main aim is to accurately summarize events as they were reported in large national news outlets, so that the section has solid facts and is easy to understand.
With that said, I get where you're coming from. If you believe that a COI editor simply shouldn't be giving input on this kind of content, that's a reasonable concern.
Would you at least consider implementing that last suggested change? The one about the House "considering a bill rolling back all of the changes." There's no judgment call to make there. The sentence I'm looking to fix is just incorrect. The House was going to consider rolling back some specific operational changes such as the decommissioning of sorting machines and ending overtime pay, not all of the changes that the Postal Service had (then) recently instituted. I don't want uninformed readers of this article to get the impression that the scope of the House's skepticism was broader than it actually was.
Anyway, thanks again for your input. I'll await your response. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 13:27, 21 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I'm OK with the last one, but i will leave it up to other editors for further review. Quetstar (talk) 19:01, 23 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Appreciate the feedback User:Quetstar! To build further consensus, I'll tag in User:Rjensen, who has done a lot of work on the article recently, and User:Beland, who has weighed in on USPS matters in the past. Of course, other editors are welcome to review as well. Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 21:05, 26 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Looks ok to me. I would reduce the introduction of DeJoy--just say he was a GOP political donor with lots of delivery experience and details belong in his own article. Rjensen (talk) 21:43, 26 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
For the first change: While it's true the Board appoints the PG, the President appoints the Board. Some of DeJoy's fundraisers directly benefitted Trump, who attended,[1] so dropping mention of Trump seems like it's trying to sweep that under the rug. The second and fourth changes seem OK, but the third one drops mention of the fact that the changes were stopped, which also seems like it's trying to sweep that under the rug. -- Beland (talk) 00:56, 27 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Hey User:Rjensen and User:Beland, thanks for jumping into this so quickly! I think Beland's criticisms are fair. I wouldn't object to keeping mention of Trump in there on the first change. The main thing I'm trying to correct is the assertion that the former president appointed DeJoy directly. I also wouldn't mind keeping the mention that mailbox removals were paused until after the election, if you think that's relevant context.
If either of you want to implement a version of my proposed changes, please do so. And thanks again! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 21:10, 28 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I think we need a reliable source saying that Trump himself picked DeJoy to reward his $$$ help. Rjensen (talk) 22:22, 28 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Hey, User:Rjensen! To clarify, my initial proposal at the top of this thread was to change this passage:
In May 2020, in a controversial move, President Trump appointed Louis DeJoy, the first postmaster general in the last two decades who had no prior experience within the United States Postal Service.
To this:
In May 2020, the bipartisan USPS Board of Governors appointed Louis DeJoy postmaster general. He became the first postmaster general in nearly two decades who had no prior experience within the United States Postal Service.
You can see all the relevant sourcing in the first row of the table above. I was suggesting that Trump be removed from the passage, because he did not select DeJoy. The USPS Board of Governors did. User:Beland was counter-proposing that some mention of Trump be kept in the passage, since he appointed the USPS Board members and DeJoy did some fundraising in October 2017 that benefitted Trump and the RNC. Maybe the compromise passage could be something like:
In May 2020, the bipartisan, Trump-selected USPS Board of Governors appointed Louis DeJoy postmaster general. He became the first postmaster general in nearly two decades who had no prior experience within the United States Postal Service.
Let me know if that works for you. I totally understand that this is a community of volunteer editors, and as you say, I'm a USPS employee doing this as part of my job. I'm not trying to make extra work for you, just looking for help reviewing the quality of my suggested edits, since obviously I shouldn't be editing the USPS article directly. Thanks for your time! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 17:54, 29 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I recommend dropping the "inexperience" of DeJoy--he actually had a lot more delivery experience than anyone else--it was in the private sector which he used repeatedly. Rjensen (talk) 18:27, 29 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
User:Rjensen, thanks for fixing that passage so it's more clear on what type of experience Mr. DeJoy brought to the job. Can I ask what you think about the first sentence? I think it's a good compromise between what I initially proposed and User:Beland's suggestion that some mention of Trump should remain. But obviously your opinion as an independent editor holds more weight than mine. Let me know! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 17:52, 6 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I'm going to ask User:Beland if they have any thoughts on my proposed compromises above. I'm particularly interested in either removing or revising the clause that states "President Trump appointed Louis DeJoy" as that's strictly untrue. Again, I think Beland's insistence that Trump should be kept in the sentence is fair. But it would be incorrect to say that a president appointed the PMG, as that's just not how the process works. I'll slightly rephrase my suggested "compromise sentence," to reflect Rjensen's recent edit:
In May 2020 the bipartisan, Trump-selected USPS Board of Governors appointed Louis DeJoy, the first postmaster general in the last two decades who did not emerge from the postal bureaucracy.
If Beland has no further thoughts, or doesn't think we should go ahead with the change above and/or any of the other changes I suggested in this request, I'm going to drop this issue. I want to improve the article, but I also want to be respectful of editors' time. I know Wikipedia runs on volunteer effort and consensus. Perhaps that isn't reachable here. That's okay. I still very much appreciate everybody working through this stuff with me. Thanks! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 20:29, 12 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Operation and budget updates

Hello again! I'm back to suggest a couple changes to the Operation and budget section, in which there are some out-of-date passages. First, at the very top of the section, there are FY21 figures. I'd like to propose those be updated.

Current language:

In Fiscal Year 2021, the Postal Service had $77.06 billion in revenue and expenses of $81.99 billion with a net loss of $4.93 billion.

Suggested language:

In Fiscal Year 2022, the Postal Service had $78.81 billion in revenue and expenses of $79.74 billion. Accounting for savings generated by the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, the agency reported a net income of $56.04 billion.[1]

And in the subsection about Post office closures, there are some facts from 2012 that are written in present tense. I suggest bringing those into the past tense.

Current language:

Approximately 40% of postal revenue already comes from online purchases or private retail partners including Walmart, Staples, Office Depot, Walgreens, Sam's Club, Costco, and grocery stores.

Suggested language:

In 2012, the Postal Service reported that approximately 40% of postal revenue came from online purchases or private retail partners including Walmart, Staples, Office Depot, Walgreens, Sam's Club, Costco, and grocery stores.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report to Congress" (PDF). United States Postal Service. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  2. ^ USPS. "New Strategy to Preserve the Nation's Smallest Post Offices". Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2012.

If independent editors could review these changes and either implement them or let me know how my suggestions might be improved, I would deeply appreciate it. Thanks! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 14:38, 5 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Those both look like perfect edits to me. Making them now. --FeldBum (talk) 00:36, 7 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Infobox updates

Hello again! I'm glad my request above was received as helpful. I have a few suggested infobox updates, since some of the figures currently listed are slightly out of date:

  • Employees: 635,350 (516,750 career personnel, 118,600 non-career personnel) as of 2022[1]
  • Revenue (2022): $78.81 billion[2]
  • Net income (2022): $56.04 billion[2]

References

  1. ^ "Size and scope". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report to Congress" (PDF). United States Postal Service. Retrieved August 28, 2023.

That first number comes from an updated version of the Size and Scope page on the USPS site, and the latter two are from the agency's annual report to Congress. In general, I'm happy to pull from any USPS resources I can track down in order to ensure that the article has accurate facts and figures in it. Thanks! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 13:07, 15 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]

 Doing... voorts (talk/contributions) 18:43, 16 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]
 Done voorts (talk/contributions) 18:47, 16 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you so much for implementing the update! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 22:42, 18 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Proposing Delivering for America subsection

Hello! I'm back on this Talk page to propose an all-new Delivering for America subsection. There's currently nothing in the article about DFA, a 10-year reform plan launched in March 2021. It includes a $40 billion capital investment and rather significant changes to USPS's operations, so I thought it might be worth covering at some length. I've put together a draft for this section and uploaded it to my user page. Link here.

Obviously, editors should closely review the text and the references, but just to give people a sense of what's included, I'll briefly summarize what the draft covers:

  • Launch of program and USPS's stated intentions
  • $40 billion capital investment
  • New expedited parcel delivery services
  • Expansion of USPS parcel-sorting capacity under DFA plan
  • Planned construction of 60 large regional processing and distribution centers
  • Budget deficit reduction through postage rate increases, operational reforms, and passage of the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022
  • Measures USPS has taken to reduce employee turnover and stabilize its career workforce

I think this subsection would fit well at the bottom of the Operation and budget section, below the Coronavirus pandemic and voting by mail subsection. I've done my best to use solid sourcing and organize the information coherently, but as ever, I'm open to independent editor feedback. Happy to refine a passage, track down better sourcing, clarify language, etc. Thanks! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 18:12, 6 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Jonathan. It's a bit large and seems to include some unnecessary info that might not be considered WP:DUE....
"In March 2021, the Postal Service launched a 10-year reform plan called Delivering for America, intended to improve the agency's financial stability, service reliability, and operational efficiency. The plan includes $40 billion in investments meant to improve USPS technology and facilities.
As part of Delivering for America, the Postal Service introduced the USPS Connect offering in June 2022 and USPS Ground Advantage in July 2023. Together, these offerings have expanded expedited parcel shipping options for the agency's customers. Between Delivering for America's inception and September 2023, USPS installed 348 new package sorting machines within its facilities. As of September 2023, the Postal Service is able to process approximately 70 million packages per day, up from 53 million in 2021, and 60 million in 2022.
USPS announced in July 2022 that it would be building 60 new regional processing and distribution centers in order to replace smaller, redundant facilities. The first of these new facilities is a million-square foot building in Atlanta that, as of March 2023, is under construction.
In May 2023, the Postal Service announced that its Delivering for America initiatives had cut the agency's projected losses through 2031 from $160 billion to $70 billion. Losses are projected to go down due to postage rate increases, improved operational efficiency from the consolidation of its delivery network, and the passage Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, which lifted financial burdens placed on the Postal Service by the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act.
Under the Delivering for America plan, USPS has focused on reducing employee turnover. The Postal Service has also sought to reduce its reliance on seasonal employees by stabilizing the size of its career workforce. Between October 2020 and September 2023, the Postal Service converted 150,000 of its pre-career workers into full-time employees."
I would suggest a shorter version, removing the parts in bold and restructuring a bit, in order to gather more support for this change. I would also use some attributions to avoid violating WP:VOICE. Cheers. DN (talk) 22:03, 6 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Asking for correction in During Trump administration section

Hello! I'd like to ask that a sentence under the During the Trump administration subsection be corrected. The sentence currently says this:

In May 2020, in a controversial move, President Trump appointed Louis DeJoy, the first postmaster general in the last two decades who did not emerge from the postal bureaucracy.

The bit about Trump appointing DeJoy is incorrect. The Postmaster General is appointed by the USPS Board of Governors, not the President. I'll suggest an alternate phrasing (and a source) that keeps every other part of the sentence intact:

In May 2020, in a controversial move, the bipartisan USPS Board of Governors appointed Louis DeJoy, the first postmaster general in the last two decades who did not emerge from the postal bureaucracy.[1]

References

  1. ^ Rappeport, Alan (May 7, 2020). "Postal Service Pick With Ties to Trump Raises Concerns Ahead of 2020 Election". New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2022.

Again, my intention here is not to alter tone or dispute the "experience" claim. I just want to fix that one factual error. Any help I can get with this request would be much appreciated. Thank you! Jonathan with U.S. Postal Service (talk) 11:19, 11 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

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