NAPS and the Next Era of the Postal Service

NAPS and the Next Era of the Postal Service
By Chuck Mulidore
NAPS Executive Vice President

As we all have become aware, the Postal Service is changing — whether we like it or not. Mail volume is not what it was, customer expectations are higher than ever and commerce-driven package growth has turned daily operations into a fast-moving business without changing the basic promise of universal service.

In the middle of all this stands the EAS supervisor, manager and postmaster. The leadership of all EAS employees is what will define the difference between “change” and “results.” That’s why the role of the National Association of Postal Supervisors matters now more than ever.

Our mission isn’t only to protect and advocate for EAS employees (essential as that is). It also is to strengthen their leadership that makes the entire Postal Service work — office by office, plant by plant, shift by shift.

For the future Postal Service, supervision cannot be merely a support function; it must be the connection between strategy and service. The truth is this: The mission of the Postal Service didn’t change, but the product mix did.

Many Americans still think of the United States Postal Service as “the mail.” But any EAS employee running or supporting a unit, a plant or Headquarters operation knows they are increasingly managing a blended network: declining letter volume, uneven marketing mail and packages that arrive with constant variability — irregular shapes, heavier weights, higher handling rates, tighter visibility requirements and customers watching tracking updates in real time.

That mix creates a simple operational reality: Small failures show up fast! A missed scan becomes a customer complaint. A late dispatch becomes downstream chaos. A rushed load becomes an injury. The system doesn’t just require solid management; it requires disciplined leadership.

For decades, the daily focus often was “How do we move today’s mail?” Now it’s “How do we run a high-velocity operation while maintaining service and keeping people safe?” EAS employees are expected to understand network flow, scan integrity, customer visibility, staffing volatility and equipment limitations — all while meeting standards and resolving issues in real time.

The skill set is broader, the stakes are higher and the often-enormous pressure is to “just make it work.” That is where NAPS must keep the conversation grounded. The USPS cannot modernize, diversify and grow by burning out the leaders who make it all work — the proud and steadfast EAS employees of the U.S. Postal Service. This is how NAPS must shape the future, not just react to it. Making senior postal leadership understand this core principle is the only way its priorities will have relevance in the ever-changing, competitive marketplace. Here are the priorities the USPS must develop to keep the Postal Service strong and relevant:

1) Let supervisors actually lead without fear. NAPS will keep pushing for workable staffing and structures that allow supervisors to actually supervise and ensure there is clear accountability, realistic workloads and tools that reduce duplicate and redundant reporting in an environment without retribution, threats or corrective action.

2) NAPS members must be “in the room” when decisions are made to procure equipment, whether it’s machines that improve package flow or vehicles that actually make delivery better. Not every change improves operations. NAPS must advocate for modernization that reduces handling, strengthens training and matches technology to how work actually happens. Supervisors know immediately whether a new process or piece of equipment is a real improvement or creates new problems. They do the work; they know the operations. Use that practical perspective at the decision table — not after the fact.

3) NAPS will lead by promoting strong supervisor development that includes training that matches today’s workload and mail mix, mentoring new leaders and best-practice sharing across all USPS functions. Strong, disciplined and unencumbered EAS leadership will drive the Postal Service to better outcomes!

4) Treat reliable service as a competitive advantage. If service remains inconsistent, customers will seek other options. Reliable service comes from daily discipline: dispatch readiness, clean scans, consistent coaching and leaders who are present, decisive and unafraid to make decisions. NAPS will continue to frame supervision as an engine of reliability. Let EAS employees do what we know how to do better than anyone else — lead!

5) Oversight from Congress. Regulators such as the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) and auditors such as the Office of Inspector General (OIG) are not going away. NAPS will maintain its strength on Capitol Hill, as well as its steady and professional relations with the PRC and OIG.

The USPS should work with NAPS jointly to deepen these ties, not maintain its “go it alone,” adversarial approach. The best protection is the reality that clean operations, honest reporting, consistent standards and, most of all, professional supervision will lead to a better, safer and more consistent USPS.

At the end of the day, the future of the Postal Service will be decided by its customers. If the agency cannot partner with NAPS and cannot work with its management leaders to improve the morale of its employees, then the future will be bleak.

Work with NAPS before it’s too late! We will decide the future of the Postal Service together with an EAS workforce free to lead the agency into its next 250 years.

NAPS exists for this exact challenge — let’s go!