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Several of these lists have been shared by the Postal Service with the Postal Regulatory Commission as part of the annual compliance review (ACR). Others have been created using lists shared online.  Note that some of the spreadsheets have tabs at the bottom of the page. Some files are very large and may not be available for viewing online, but they can be downloaded or accessed directly on Google Docs here.

Posts

Post Topics

Post Topics

Posts by a Postmaster

Mark Jamison is a retired postmaster who serves as an advisor, resident guru, and regular contributor to Save the Post Office.  He can be contacted at markijamison01@gmail.com. His posts can be read in an e-book format here. There's more about Mark here.

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Files on Google Drive

Resources & Links

Twitter

Save the Post Office is no longer tweeting (as of Oct. 28, 2022), but here's an archive of previous tweets.

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

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First Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat.

By Christopher W. Shaw

“The Postal Service is the crown jewel of the American experiment, our most efficient, trusted and beloved public service. With First Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat, Christopher Shaw makes a brilliant case for polishing the USPS up and letting it shine in the 21st century.”—John Nichols, national affairs correspondent for The Nation and author of Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers: Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis

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How the Post Office Created America: A History
By Winifred Gallagher
A masterful history of a long underappreciated institution, How the Post Office Created America examines the surprising role of the postal service in our nation’s political, social, economic, and physical development.  Winifred Gallagher presents the history of the post office as America’s own story, told from a fresh perspective over more than two centuries.  Gallagher argues that now, more than ever before, the imperiled post office deserves this effort, because just as the founders anticipated, it created forward-looking, communication-oriented, idea-driven America. Available on Amazon. Read an excerpt here.

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The Prairie Post Office: Enlarging the Common Life in Rural North Dakota
By K. Amy Phillips and Steven R. Bolduc
SAVE OUR POST OFFICE! This was the plea when the USPS determined to restructure or close post offices across the US, including 76 locations in North Dakota. In response, authors Amy Phillips and Steven Bolduc set out to explore the contemporary role of post offices in ND. The Prairie Post Office documents an essential institution and includes a history of northern Dakota Territory & North Dakota rural postal delivery by Kevin Carvell and 100+ color photos by Wayne Gudmundson. Available on Amazon.

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Neither Snow nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service
By Devin Leonard

Neither Snow Nor Rain, journalist Devin Leonard tackles the fascinating, centuries-long history of the USPS, from the first letter carriers through Franklin’s days, when postmasters worked out of their homes and post roads cut new paths through the wilderness. Under Andrew Jackson, the post office was molded into a vast patronage machine, and by the 1870s, over 70 percent of federal employees were postal workers. As the country boomed, the USPS aggressively developed new technology, from mobile post offices on railroads and airmail service to mechanical sorting machines and optical character readers. Available on Amazon.

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Preserving the People’s Post Office
By Christopher Shaw
This book exposes how numerous forces are intent on undermining an essential government agency’s public service commitment. “Through preferential postage rates for nonprofits the Postal Service facilitates civic involvement and a healthy democracy,” writes Shaw.  Read online here, and at Amazon here.

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American Mail: Enlarger of the Common Life

By Wayne E Fuller (1972)

This book records and interprets the history of American postal service. It provides yet another means for viewing American history: showing the progress of technology (the impact of the railroad, the automobile, and the airplane) and presenting the debates over innovation (over the postage stamp, free home delivery, RFD, parcel post, and airmail).  Read review.

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Post Offices in a Foggy World: Understanding the Value of the New Deal Post Office and its Public Art in the National Landscape
By Barrett E. Reiter

The one thousand New Deal era post offices with interior art (commissioned under the Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts) that are spread throughout the nation, are representative not only of architectural norms of the era but of social values. These resources are defined by a unique relationship between art, architecture, and community that demonstrate a concern for regional identity, state a belief in equal access, assert that citizens are entitled to aesthetically beautiful environments and cultural experiences, and stand as crucial remnants of an exceptional moment in American history. Yet today, recent divestments of post offices by the United States Postal Service (USPS) have cast doubt on the future of a number of these significant historic resources.  Read here.

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There’s Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice, and Equality
By Philip Rubio
This book brings to life the important but neglected story of African American postal workers and the critical role they played in the U.S. labor and black freedom movements. Historian Philip Rubio, a former postal worker, integrates civil rights, labor, and left movement histories that too often are written as if they happened separately. Read an excerpt here.

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Spreading the News: The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse
By Richard John
In the United States, the unimpeded transmission of information has long been hailed as a positive good. In few other countries has informational mobility been such a cherished ideal. Richard R. John shows how postal policy can help explain this state of affairs. He discusses its influence on the development of such information-intensive institutions as the national market, the voluntary association, and the mass party.  Available on Amazon here.

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Going Postal: U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s husband sells post offices to his friends, cheap.
By Peter Byrne.
National award-winning investigative journalist Peter Byrne reports that the husband of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California has been selling post offices at bargain basement prices—often to his own business partners. Richard C. Blum is the chairman of CBRE Group Inc., the largest commercial real estate firm in the world. In 2011, the Postal Service awarded Blum’s company an exclusive contract to sell off postal real estate in cities and towns across America. Byrne’s in-depth investigation details the many apparent conflicts of interests driving the CBRE deals.  Available online from Amazon here.  Read excerpt.

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Understanding Postal Privatization: Corporations, Unions and “The Public Interest”
By Sarah Ryan
A thesis submitted to the School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, January 1999. Read online here.

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A history of public buildings under the control of the Treasury Department

Washington, DC, 1901

Read online here.

Resources & Links

Post Topics

Reports and Studies

(Note: On mobile devices, click on the document title for more data and link.)

Name of DocumentSourceNumberDateURL
21st Century Post Office: Aligning with the National Broadband Infrastructure InitiativeUSPS OIGDA-MA-12-0021/23/2012Link
21st Century Post Office: Non-Postal Products and ServicesUSPS OIGDA-MA-12-0057/16/2012Link
21st Century Post Office: Opportunities to Share Excess ResourcesUSPS OIGDA-MA-12-0032/9/2012Link
100 Years of Parcel PostUSPS OIGRARC-WP-14-00412/20/2013Link
Adapting Postal Facilities to Support Community ResilienceCarnegie Mellon UniversityLink
Advertising Mail: Past and PresentUSPS OIGRARC-WP-16-0063/28/2016Link
A Framework for Considering the Social Value of Postal ServicesThe Urban Institute/PRC2/2/2010Link
Analysis of the Postal Service̍s FY 2014 Program Performance Report and FY 2015 Performance PlanPRC7/7/2015Link
Analysis of the Postal Service’s FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2016 Performance PlanPRC5/4/2016Link
Analysis of the Postal Service’s FY 2019 Annual Performance Report and FY 2020 Performance PlanPRC6/1/2020Link
Analysis of United States Postal Service Financial Results and 10-K Statement for Fiscal Year 2013 (Revised April 10, 2014)PRC4/10/2014Link
Annual Compliance Determination Report Fiscal Year 2014PRC3/27/2015Link
Annual Compliance Determination Report Fiscal Year 2018PRC4/12/2019Link
Annual Compliance Determination Report for 2015PRCACR 20153/28/2016Link
Annual Compliance Report FY 2019PRCACR20193/25/2020Link
Annual Report to Congress for 2016USPS12/29/2016Link
Annual Report to Congress for 2018PRC1080251/10/2019Link
Annual Report to the President and Congress Fiscal Year 2014PRC1/5/2015Link
Annual Report to the President and Congress Fiscal Year 2015PRC1/6/2016Link
Annual Report to the President and Congress Fiscal Year 2019PRC1/21/2020Link
Annual Report to the President and Congress Fiscal Year 2020PRC1/26/2021Link
Approved Shippers Pricing and Customer ServiceUSPS OIGSM-AR-16-0085/21/2016Link
Assessment of Overtime ActivityUSPS OIG20-209-R208/25/2020Link
Assessment of the U.S. Postal Service’s Service Performance and CostsUSPS OIGNO-AR-19-0089/17/2019Link
Assessment of WorksharingUSPS OIGRARC-WP-10-0057/12/2010Link
Barriers to Retail Network OptimizationUSPS OIGRARC-WP-11-0056/9/2011Link
Billions Served: Foot Traffic at the Post OfficeUSPS OIGRARC-WP-17-0129/11/2017Link
Competitive Products Pricing Best PracticesUSPS OIGCP-AR-19-0039/11/2019Link
Congressional Mandate on Excess SpaceUSPS OIGSM-AR-19-001 12/14/2018Link
Congressional Mandate on Excess SpaceUSPS OIGSM-AR-19-00112/14/2018Link
Contracting of Real Estate Management ServicesUSPS OIGSM-AR-13-0016/12/2013Link
Contract Postal Unit Operations OversightUSPS OIGFT-AR-17-00211/3/2016Link
Contract Postal Units: Analysis of Location, Service, and Financial CharacteristicsGAOGAO-13-4111/1/2012Link
Cost of Appeals for Closing Retail FacilitiesUSPS OIGCI-AR-12-0057/12/2012Link
Customer RetentionUSPS OIGMS-AR-14-0089/25/2014Link
Deployment of Operational ChangesUSPS OIG21-014-R2111/06/2020Link
DOD Needs More Comprehensive Planning to Address Military and Overseas Absentee Voting ChallengesGAOGAO-16-378
4/20/2016Link
DSCF Standard Mail Load LevelingPRCN2014-112/27/2013Link
e-Government and the Postal Service — A Conduit to Help Government Meet Citizens’ NeedsUSPS OIGRARC-WP-13-0031/7/2013Link
Effectiveness of the Postal Service’s Efforts to Reduce Non-Career Employee TurnoverUSPS OIG 19POG001SAT000-R20 2/12/2020Link
Embracing the Future: Making the Tough Choices to Preserve Universal Mail ServicePresident's Commission7/31/2003Link
Estimated Costs of the Amendment to the FY 2016 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations BillCBO7/13/2015Link
Evolutionary Network Development Service Changes, 2006PRCN2006-112/19/2006Link
Expanding Nonpostal Products and Services at Retail Facilities Could Result in Benefits but May Have Limited ViabilityGAOGAO-20-3543/1/2020Link
Facility Conditions Review - Eastern DistrictUSPS OIGSM-AR-17-0045/10/2017Link
Failure to Deliver: Harm Caused by U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's Changes to Postal Service Mail DeliveryUS Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs9/16/2020Link
Federal Real Property: Strategic Partnerships and Local Coordination Could Help Agencies Better Utilize SpaceGAOGAO-12-7797/1/2011Link
Federal Vehicles: Composition and Management of Agency FleetsGAOGAO-16-455T2/26/2016Link
Financial Analysis of Postal Service Financial Results and 10-K StatementPRC3/29/2016Link
Financial Analysis of United States Postal Service Financial Results and 10-K Statement 2014PRC4/1/2015Link
Financial Analysis of United States Postal Service Financial Results and 10-K Statement FY 2019PRC5/7/2020Link
Funding the Universal Service ObligationUSPS OIGRARC-WP-16-0053/21/2016Link
FY 2020 Annual Compliance Report USPSACR202012/29/2020Link
Generation Z and the MailUSPS OIGRISC-WP-20-00909/21/2020Link
Governance of the U.S. Postal ServiceUSPS OIGRARC-WP-17-00211/10/2016Link
Guiding Principles for a New Universal Service ObligationUSPS OIGRARC-WP-15-00111/17/2014Link
History of Post Office Construction 1900-1940USPS7/1/1982Link
Impact of Post Office Closures on Local CommunitiesNational Audit Office (UK)11/7/2008Link
Impact of the Closure of Post Offices 
in Northwest IowaNorthwest Iowa Development2/1/2012Link
Is Diversification the Answer to Mail Woes? The Experience of International PostsUSPS/Accenture2/1/2010Link
Leading Practices for Managing Fleet OperationsGAOGAO-15-644T5/21/2015Link
Mail Processing and Transportation Operational ChangesUSPS OIGNO-AR-16-0099/2/2016Link
Mail Processing Network Rationalization Service Changes, 2012PRCN2012-19/28/2012Link
Mail Service During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 PandemicUSPS OIG20-275-R2101/04/2021Link
Making the Connection: Local Post Offices as Community Enterprise HubsRSA2/1/2014Link
Management Alert ̐ Retail Customer Service Management AlertUSPS OIGMS-MA-15-00210/17/2014Link
Operational Changes to Mail DeliveryUSPS OIG20-292-R2110/19/2020Link
Operational Window Change SavingsUSPS OIGNO-AR-19-00110/15/2018Link
Package Delivery in Rural and Dense Urban AreasUSPS OIGRISC-WP-20-00809/16/2020Link
Peeling the Onion: The Real Cost of MailUSPS OIGRARC-WP-16-0094/18/2016Link
Postal Facilities - Platforms for Community ResilienceCarnegie Mellon Univ12/15/2018Link
Postal Retiree Health Benefits: Unsustainable Finances Need to Be AddressedGAOGAO-18-602
8/31/2018Link
Postal Service Management of CBRE
Real Estate Transactions
USPS OIGSM-AR-15-0034/22/2015Link
Post Office Relocation ProcessUSPS OIGDR-AR-14-0089/2/2014Link
Post Office Structure PlanPRCN2012-28/23/2012Link
Potential Financial Effect on the U.S. Postal Service of Increased Voting by MailGAOGAO-12-72R10/20/2011Link
PRC Summary and Expanded Response to GAO Report GAO-15-756:U.S. Postal Service Actions Needed to Make Delivery Performance Information More Complete, Useful, and TransparentPRC10/5/2015Link
Preservation and Disposal of Historic PropertiesUSPS OIGSM-AR-14-0044/16/2014Link
Preserve America 2011 USPS report to ACHP, part 1USPS12/1/2011Link 1
Preserve America 2011 USPS report to ACHP, part 2USPS12/1/2011Link
Preserving Historic Post Offices: A Report to CongressACHP3/20/2014Link
Processing Readiness of Election and Political Mail During the 2020 General ElectionsUSPS OIG20-225-R2008/31/2020Link
Reevaluating the Universal Service ObligationUSPS OIGRISC-WP-20-0045/6/2020Link
Retail Access Optimization Initiative, 2011PRCN2011-112/23/2011Link
Retail Customer Experience ProgramUSPS OIGMS-AR-13-0107/9/2013Link
Review of Postal Service FY 2013 Performance Report and FY 2014 Performance PlanPRC7/7/2014Link
Risks Associated with CB Richard Ellis, Inc. ContractUSPS OIGSM-MA-14-0032/12/2014Link
Section 701 Report: Analysis of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006PRC11/14/2016
Service Performance of Election and Political Mail During the 2018 Midterm and Special ElectionsUSPS OIG19XG010NO000-R2011/4/2019Link
Service Performance of Election and Political Mail
During the November 2020 General Election
USPS OIG20-318-R21 |3/5/2021Link
Six-Day to Five-Day Street Delivery and Related Service Changes, 2010PRCN2010-13/24/2011Link
Station and Branch Optimization and Consolidation Initiative, 2009PRCN2009-13/10/2010Link
The Household Diary Study Diary Study: Mail Use & Attitudes in FY 2015USPS8/1/2016Link
The Last Post: The social and economic impact of changes to postal services in ManchesterNEFLink
The Postal Service's Use of Social MediaUSPS OIGMS-MA-13-0038/1/2013Link
The Postal Service and Its User BaseUSPS OIGRARC-WP-16-0137/18/2016Link
The Postal Service Customers of the FutureUSPS OIGRARC-WP-14-0149/29/2014Link
The Postal Service’s Role In Delivering Wellness Services And SuppliesUSPS OIGRARC-IB-15-0047/22/2015Link
The Road Ahead for Postal Financial ServicesUSPS OIGRARC-WP-15-0115/21/2015Link
The U.S. Postal Service and Emergency Response: A History of Delivering for the American PublicUSPS OIGRISC-WP-20-00609/10/2020Link
The U.S. Postal Service̥s Financial Condition: A PrimerCRSR431629/22/2014Link
The U.S. Postal Service̥s Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for CongressCRSR410241/27/2012Link
Timeliness of Ballot Mail in the Milwaukee Processing & Distribution Center Service AreaUSPS OIG20-235-R207/7/2020Link
Toward Postal Excellence: The Report of the President's Commission on Postal OrganizationPresidential Commission11/24/1967Link
U.S. Postal Service's Financial ViabilityGAOVariousLink
U.S. Postal Service: Action Needed to Address Unfunded Benefit LiabilitiesGAOGAO-14-398T3/3/2014Link
U.S. Postal Service: Action Needed to Maximize Cost-Saving Potential of Alternatives to Post OfficesGAOGAO-12-10011/1/2011Link
U.S. Postal Service: Actions Needed to Make Delivery Performance. Information More Complete, Useful, and Transparent. Why GAO Did This Study.GAOGAO-15-4089/30/2015Link
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE:
Congressional Action Is Essential to Enable a Sustainable Business Model
GAOGAO-20-3855/7/2020Link
U.S. Postal Service: Continuing Financial Challenges and the Need for Postal ReformGAOGAO-16-651T5/11/2016Link
U.S. Postal Service: Financial Challenges ContinueGAOGAO-16-268T1/21/2016Link
U.S. Postal Service: Foreign Posts' Strategies Could Inform U.S. Postal Service's Efforts to ModernizeGAOGAO-11-2822/16/2011Link
U.S. Postal Service: Information on How Broadband Affects Postal Use and the Communications Options for Rural ResidentsGAOGAO-16-811
9/1/2016Link
U.S. Postal Service: Post Office Changes Suggest Cost Savings, but Improved Guidance, Data, and Analysis Can Inform Future Savings EffortsGAOGAO-16-3854/29/2016Link
U.S. Postal Service Processing Network OptimizationUSPS OIGNO-AR-19-0069/9/2019Link
U.S. Postal Service Workforce Size and Employment Categories, FY1995-FY2014 CRSRS22864Link
U.S. Postal Service’s Processing Network Optimization and Service ImpactsUSPS OIG19XG013NO000-R206/16/2020Link
U.S Postal Service FY 2016 Annual Compliance ReportUSPSNo. ACR201612/29/2016Link
United States Postal Service: A Sustainable Path ForwardTask Force12/4/2018Link
Use of Independent Contractor StudiesUSPS OIGCP-AR-17-00210/14/2016Link
Using Mail to Build BrandsUSPS OIGRARC-WP-18-0139/5/2018Link
USPS Financial ReportsUSPSVariousLink
USPS Leased Facilities ReportUSPSLink
USPS Nationwide Historic Context Study: Postal Facilities Constructed or Occupied Between 1940 and 1971 USPS/URS9/1/2012Link
USPS Owned Facilities ReportUSPSLink
USPS Service Performance ReportsUSPSLink
Vote by Mail and the Postal Service: A PrimerUSPS OIGRISC-WP-21-0046/1/2021Link
What America Wants and Needs from the Postal ServiceUSPS OIGRARC-WP-14-0092/18/2014Link
What America Wants from the Postal ServiceUSPS OIGRARC-WP-13-0095/21/2013Link
What Postal Services Do People Value the Most? A Quantitative Survey of the Postal Universal Service ObligationUSPS OIGRARC-WP-15-0072/23/2015Link
Workshare Discounts for Automated Mail ProcessingUSPS OIGCP-AR-15-0026/8/2015Link