The USPS Is More Than a Business

The USPS Is More Than a Business
By Chuck Mulidore
NAPS Executive Vice President

I hear calls for the United States Postal Service to be run "like a business" or "no business would operate like that." At first glance, those ideas seem to have merit.

Every organization should strive to operate efficiently, control costs, embrace innovation and be accountable for its performance. But there is a fundamental truth that must never be forgotten: The United States Postal Service was not created to be a for-profit business. It was created to provide a public service.

The framers of our Constitution understood that a young nation could not prosper without a reliable means of communication. Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution grants Congress the authority "To establish Post Offices and post Roads." From our nation's earliest days, the mail has been recognized as an essential public function that binds the country together. That responsibility remains just as important today.

Unlike private companies whose primary responsibility is to generate profits for investors, the Postal Service has a legal obligation to provide universal service to every American community. The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 reaffirmed this mission by establishing that the Postal Service "shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together."

Every day, hundreds of millions of Americans depend on the Postal Service. The USPS delivers to remote mountain communities, isolated farms, Native American reservations, growing cities and towns, military families, businesses large and small and neighborhoods that no private company would serve at a uniform price because doing so would not be profitable. Saying that some delivery routes or post offices are "not profitable" is missing the point!

None of this suggests that financial discipline is not important. As supervisors, managers, postmasters and support personnel, all EAS employees understand the importance of continually improving productivity, eliminating wasteful practices, modernizing postal operations and making sound financial decisions that ensure the long-term sustainability of this great institution.

Businesses can choose the customers they serve; the Postal Service cannot and should not. Businesses can abandon markets that no longer are profitable; the Postal Service cannot and should not. Businesses answer primarily to shareholders, but the Postal Service answers to the American people.

You see, this great company—the United States Postal Service—is owned by the American people, for the American people, and is meant to serve the American people. As members of the National Association of Postal Supervisors, we never should lose sight of that responsibility.

The role of EAS employees is to lead with integrity, advocate for our employees and ensure the timely collection, processing and delivery of America's mail. As postal leaders, we certainly should embrace the best practices of successful businesses: innovation, accountability, efficiency and customer service. But there is a difference between operating efficiently and operating for profit.

Over 250 years after the Postal Service was established, its mission remains remarkably simple: to bind the Nation together through reliable, affordable, universal service. That mission is not outdated; it is more relevant than ever.

The strength of the Postal Service never has been measured solely in dollars and cents. It is measured by the confidence the American people place in it every day. As the USPS looks toward the future, it must continue modernizing its operations, embracing innovative technologies and improving its performance.

But the Postal Service never can forget what has made it one of America's most trusted institutions. The Postal Service is not simply delivering mail; it is fulfilling a promise made to every American over 250 years ago—and for those generations of Americans that followed—a promise that no matter where they live, they matter and they always will be served.

That is not simply good business; that is public service at its absolute best!