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Report to Congressional Requesters:

July 2003:

U.S. Postal Service:

A Primer on Postal Worksharing:

GAO-03-927:

GAO Highlights:

Highlights of GAO-03-927, a report to congressional requesters

Why GAO Did This Study:

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) faces major financial, operational, and 
human capital challenges that call for a transformation if USPS is to 
remain viable in the 21st century. Given these challenges, the 
President established a commission to examine the state of USPS and 
submit a report by July 31, 2003, with a proposed vision for USPS and 
recommendations to ensure the viability of postal services. The 
presidential commission has addressed worksharing (activities that 
mailers perform to obtain lower postage rates) in the course of its 
work. About three-quarters of domestic mail volume is workshared. 
Worksharing is fundamental to USPS operations, but is not well 
understood by a general audience.  

To help Congress and others better understand worksharing, GAO was 
asked to provide information on the key activities and the rationale 
for worksharing and the legal basis for worksharing rates. GAO 
discusses USPS’s and the Postal Rate Commission’s rationale for 
worksharing but did not assess the benefits that they claimed for 
worksharing. GAO will issue a second report later this year on 
worksharing issues raised by stakeholders. 

In commenting on this report, USPS and the Postal Rate Commission 
reemphasized the benefits of worksharing.

What GAO Found:

Postal worksharing activities generally involve mailers preparing, 
sorting, or transporting mail to qualify for reduced postage rates, 
that is, worksharing rates. These rates are based on what are referred 
to as worksharing discounts because the rates are reduced based on the 
costs that USPS is estimated to avoid as a result of mailer 
worksharing activities. Key activities include (1) barcoding and 
preparing mail to be sorted by USPS automated equipment, which reduces 
manual sorting; (2) presorting mail by ZIP Code or specific delivery 
location, which reduces USPS sorting; and (3) entering mail at a USPS 
facility that generally is closer to the final destination of the 
mail. Worksharing also requires mailers to perform numerous other 
activities, such as updating addresses to improve their accuracy. 

USPS Domestic Mail Volume in Fiscal Year 2002

[See PDF for image]

[End of table] 

According to USPS and the Postal Rate Commission, the rationale for 
worksharing is that it benefits USPS, mailers and the mailing 
industry, and the nation. They said worksharing benefits (1) USPS by 
enabling it to improve its operations and thereby help minimize its 
workforce and infrastructure, and by stimulating mail volume growth 
that generates revenues to cover rising costs; (2) mailers by reducing 
mail-related costs and improving delivery service, and the mailing 
industry that performs worksharing activities; and (3) the nation, in 
part by lowering business costs, and in part by the associated 
benefits that consumers can realize. While stakeholders generally 
support the concept of worksharing, they have raised differing 
concerns in this area. For example, the American Postal Workers Union 
has asserted that worksharing discounts are too large, but some 
mailers and members of the mailing industry have asserted that the 
worksharing discounts are not large enough.

The primary legal basis for worksharing rates is the requirement in 
law that, when recommending postage rates, the Postal Rate Commission 
consider mail preparation and its effect upon reducing USPS costs. 
Postal rate cases have established precedents clarifying the basis for 
worksharing rates.

www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-927.

To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click 
on the link above. For more information, contact Bernard L. Ungar at 
(202) 512-2834 or ungarb@gao.gov.

[End of section]

Contents:

Letter:

Results in Brief:

Background:

Worksharing Involves Activities Mailers Must Perform to Qualify for 
Lower Rates:

The Rationale for Worksharing Is That It Benefits USPS, Mailers, and 
the Nation, but Some Concerns Have Been Raised:

The Legal Basis for Worksharing Rates Is Derived from Title 39 and Is 
Implemented through Postal Rate Cases and Regulations:

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:

Appendixes:

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology: 

Appendix II: Estimated USPS Avoided Costs for Automation-Compatible
Letters That Are Workshared and Sent via First-Class Mail: 

Appendix III: Comments from the U.S. Postal Service: 

Appendix IV: Comments from the Postal Rate Commission: 

Appendix V: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments: 

GAO Contact:

Acknowledgments:

Tables:

Table 1: Selected Postage Discounts and Rates for Letters of Up to 1 
Ounce That Are Sent via First-Class Mail and Workshared to Be 
Compatible with USPS Automation Equipment:

Table 2: Highlights of Worksharing Requirements for Automation-
Compatible Letters Sent via First-Class Mail:

Table 3: Highlights of Opposing Views on Worksharing:

Table 4: Selected USPS Worksharing Rates Adopted from Fiscal Years 1976 
through 2002:

Figures:

Figure 1: Illustration of How USPS Handles "Aunt Minnie's" Letter Sent 
from Philadelphia to Los Angeles:

Figure 2: Sample Envelope with Mailer-Applied Barcode:

Figure 3: Example of Presorting Envelopes in Mail Trays by Five-Digit 
ZIP Codes:

Figure 4: Illustration of How USPS Handles Destination-Entered Bulk Mail 
and Aunt Minnie's Letter, Both of Which Are Sent from Philadelphia to 
Los Angeles:

Figure 5: Percentage of USPS Domestic Mail That Is Workshared and Non-
workshared:

Figure 6: Percentage of Workshared Mail by Class:

Figure 7: Percentage of Costs That USPS Is Estimated to Avoid Because 
Mailers Perform Worksharing Activities for Automation-Compatible 
Letters Sent via First-Class Mail, by Type of USPS Cost:

Figure 8: Domestic Mail Volume from Fiscal Years 1972 through 2002:

Figure 9: Share of Domestic Mail Revenue Generated by Workshared and 
Non-workshared Mail in Fiscal Year 2002:

Figure 10: Percentage of Domestic Mail Revenues Applied to Help Cover 
USPS Institutional Costs That Were Generated by Workshared and Non-
workshared Mail in Fiscal Year 2002:

Figure 11: Financial Data for Workshared and Non-workshared First-Class 
Mail in Fiscal Year 2002:

Letter July 31, 2003:

The Honorable Daniel K. Akaka 
Ranking Minority Member 
Subcommittee on Financial Management, the Budget, and International 
Security 
Committee on Governmental Affairs 
United States Senate:

The Honorable Henry A. Waxman 
Ranking Minority Member 
Committee on Government Reform 
House of Representatives:

The Honorable Danny K. Davis 
Ranking Minority Member 
Subcommittee on the Civil Service and Agency Reorganization 
Committee on Government Reform 
House of Representatives:

As you know, we have recently raised concerns that the U.S. Postal 
Service (USPS) faces major challenges that collectively call for a 
structural transformation if USPS is to remain viable in the 21ST 
century. We have reported that USPS has experienced financial 
difficulties, its business model is not well suited to operate 
efficiently in an increasingly competitive environment, and growth in 
mail volume has stagnated or declined.[Footnote 1] About three-quarters 
of U.S. domestic mail volume is "workshared" by mailers that barcode, 
sort, or transport mail in ways estimated to reduce USPS's costs and 
thus obtain lower postage rates. Although worksharing is fundamental to 
USPS operations, it is not well understood by a general audience 
because little information is available that explains its basic 
concepts. As Congress continues to consider how best to address USPS's 
transformation challenges, Members of Congress, their staff, and other 
interested parties will need a basic understanding of postal 
worksharing.

Accordingly, you requested that we provide available information on 
worksharing fundamentals, key issues, and stakeholder views in this 
area. We agreed with your offices to provide the information in two 
reports. This first report provides a primer on the fundamentals of 
worksharing. Specifically, our objectives for this report are to 
provide summary information on the following questions: (1) What are 
the key activities included in postal worksharing? (2) What is the 
rationale for worksharing, according to USPS and the Postal Rate 
Commission, the independent federal establishment that reviews USPS 
proposals for changes in domestic postage rates? and (3) What is the 
legal basis for establishing worksharing rates?

Some postal stakeholders have expressed divergent points of view 
regarding the rationale for worksharing, raising a series of related 
detailed technical and policy issues that are beyond the scope of this 
report. Accordingly, among other things, you requested that we issue a 
second report later this year to address key worksharing issues and 
stakeholder views regarding these issues. In this first report, we 
discuss USPS's and the Postal Rate Commission's rationale for 
worksharing but do not assess the benefits that they claimed are 
derived from worksharing.

As you requested, this first report is being issued on July 31, 2003. 
This date coincides with the expected issuance date of the report by 
the President's Commission on the United States Postal Service. The 
commission was mandated to report on its proposed vision for USPS and 
recommend reforms to ensure the viability of postal services.

To address the three objectives, among other things, we reviewed 
documents that defined worksharing rates and the rationale for these 
rates. These documents included materials filed in postal rate cases--
Postal Rate Commission proceedings that consider changes to domestic 
postage rates and fees--by USPS, the Postal Rate Commission, and other 
postal stakeholders. In addition, we reviewed USPS requirements for 
mailer worksharing activities and reviewed published papers and 
analyses on worksharing. To observe the handling and preparation of 
workshared mail, we visited USPS mail processing facilities in Florida 
and Maryland that handle workshared mail as well as mailer facilities 
in Florida that prepare workshared mail. We interviewed representatives 
of groups that filed material on worksharing issues in the most recent 
postal rate case that resulted in increases in most postage rates, 
including the rate for sending a letter via First-Class Mail. These 
representatives included officials of USPS, the Postal Rate Commission 
and its Office of the Consumer Advocate, mailer groups, and the 
American Postal Workers Union. We also reviewed material that some of 
these organizations provided us on worksharing. To obtain information 
on the legal basis for worksharing rates, we reviewed pertinent laws, 
regulations, and the Postal Rate Commission's recommended decisions in 
rate cases that established worksharing rates. Additional information 
on our objectives, scope, and methodology appears in appendix I. We 
requested comments on a draft of this report from USPS and the Postal 
Rate Commission, and their comments are discussed later in this report 
and reproduced in appendixes III and IV.

Results in Brief:

Postal worksharing activities generally involve mailers preparing, 
barcoding, sorting, or transporting mail to qualify for reduced postage 
rates, i.e., worksharing rates. Worksharing rates are based on what are 
commonly referred to as worksharing discounts because the rates are 
reduced based on the costs that USPS is estimated to avoid as a result 
of mailer worksharing activities. Key worksharing activities include 
(1) barcoding and preparing mail so it can be sorted by USPS automated 
equipment, which reduces manual sorting and other USPS handling of the 
mail; (2) presorting mail, such as by ZIP Code or specific delivery 
location, to reduce the number of times USPS must sort the mail to 
route it to the addressee; and (3) entering mail at a USPS facility 
that is generally closer to the final destination of the mail, which is 
commonly referred to as entering the mail deeper into USPS's network 
used to move the mail. In addition, mailers must perform numerous other 
worksharing activities, such as updating and properly formatting 
addresses to improve their quality and accuracy, thus reducing the 
amount of undeliverable and forwarded mail, as well as improving USPS's 
ability to use its automated equipment to sort the mail. To qualify for 
worksharing rates, mailers must perform worksharing activities and meet 
minimum volume requirements for bulk mailings, such as mailings of at 
least 500 letters sent via First-Class Mail that may include credit 
card bills, utility bills, advertisements, and bank statements. Aside 
from First-Class Mail that is workshared, other workshared mail may 
include bulk mailings of advertisements, magazines, local newsletters, 
or packages.

USPS and the Postal Rate Commission have said that worksharing benefits 
USPS, mailers and the mailing industry, and the nation. First, they 
credit worksharing with benefiting USPS, in part because it enables 
USPS to improve its operations and thereby helps minimize its workforce 
and infrastructure. In addition, they said worksharing benefits USPS 
because it stimulates mail volume growth, which helps USPS achieve 
economies of scale. Historically, mail volume growth has been critical 
to USPS's business model, which depends on mail volume growth to 
generate more revenues to help cover rising USPS costs. Second, they 
credit worksharing with benefiting mailers and the mailing industry. 
With respect to mailers, USPS and the Postal Rate Commission credit 
worksharing with reducing the total mail-related costs for mailers who 
workshare; helping to keep postage rates affordable for all mailers; 
and improving the quality of delivery service. Regarding the mailing 
industry, USPS and the Postal Rate Commission credit worksharing with 
spurring the development of the direct mail industry as well as that of 
other mail-related companies that perform worksharing activities, 
enabling more mailers to participate in worksharing. Third, they credit 
worksharing with benefiting the nation, in part by lowering business 
costs, and in part by creating associated benefits that consumers can 
realize. They said consumers benefit if worksharing helps keep postage 
rates affordable; if mailers pass along lower prices when their mail-
related costs are reduced by worksharing; if their workshared mail is 
delivered in a more expeditious and reliable manner; and if the mail 
volume growth caused by worksharing results in more mail that consumers 
consider useful, such as business correspondence or catalogs that some 
consumers find useful.

While stakeholders generally support the concept of worksharing, they 
have raised differing concerns in this area. For example, the American 
Postal Workers Union has asserted that the worksharing discounts are 
too large and thus worsen USPS's financial situation. In contrast, some 
mailers and members of the mailing industry have asserted that the 
discounts are not large enough and thus improve USPS's financial 
situation. Integral to stakeholder differences are divergent views on 
technical issues relating to the data, assumptions, and analyses used 
in rate cases to develop the estimates of costs that USPS is to avoid 
as a result of mailer worksharing activities. Another issue that has 
been raised is the extent to which USPS has avoided costs as a result 
of worksharing activities performed by mailers.

The primary legal basis for worksharing rates derives from the 
requirement that the Postal Rate Commission consider "the degree of 
preparation of mail for delivery into the postal system performed by 
the mailer and its effect upon reducing costs" to USPS when 
recommending domestic postage rates.[Footnote 2] Worksharing rates have 
been considered in successive postal rate cases--proceedings in which 
the Postal Rate Commission considers USPS proposals for changing 
domestic postage rates--dating back to the 1970s. These proceedings 
have established precedents that have further clarified the legal basis 
for worksharing rates. Worksharing rates are implemented through 
federal regulations issued and updated by the Postal Rate Commission 
and USPS.

In commenting on a draft of our report, the Postal Rate Commission said 
that worksharing rates "have provided major impetus for improved 
productive efficiency in postal services and stimulated the mail volume 
growth that has had the effect of moderating rate increases for all 
mail classes and services." USPS commented that worksharing enhances 
efficient postal operations and stimulates mail growth and revenue for 
USPS; reduces overall mailer costs and has encouraged development of 
the presort and direct mail industries; and "benefits the entire 
economy because reduced mailing costs increase productivity and 
efficiency.":

Background:

USPS is an independent establishment of the executive branch mandated 
to provide postal services to bind the nation together through the 
personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the 
people. Established by the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970,[Footnote 
3] USPS is one of the largest organizations in the nation, with annual 
revenues of about $67 billion in fiscal year 2002 and a workforce of 
about 850,000 full-time and part-time employees.

To fulfill its responsibilities, USPS has a massive infrastructure 
that, in fiscal year 2002, included about 300,000 collection boxes; 
209,000 vehicles that transport and deliver mail; almost 38,000 post 
offices, post office stations, and post office branches; and about 350 
mail processing facilities that sort and route mail across the country 
and within local areas. USPS delivered mail to the nation's 139 million 
addresses, a number that grows by about 1.7 million annually. USPS 
carried over 40 percent of the world's mail, and USPS's total mail 
volume was nearly 203 billion pieces in fiscal year 2002. A simplified 
illustration of how USPS handles a single piece of personal 
correspondence that is mailed cross-country (referred to as "Aunt 
Minnie" mail) is shown in figure 1.

Figure 1: Illustration of How USPS Handles "Aunt Minnie's" Letter Sent 
from Philadelphia to Los Angeles:

[See PDF for image]

[End of figure]

USPS handles a wide variety of mail items ranging from correspondence, 
bills, and publications to payments and packages. Most mail is 
generated by businesses, with households generating 11 percent of 
domestic mail volume--primarily remittance mail and other mail sent to 
businesses and other organizations. Household-to-household mail, such 
as personal correspondence, represents only 4 percent of domestic mail 
volume.

Postage rates vary widely, depending on the mail's content, weight, 
size, destination, and how it is prepared and presented by mailers to 
USPS, among other things. Mail is organized into groupings called 
classes. The four main mail classes include (1) First-Class Mail, which 
includes items such as business and personal correspondence, bills, 
payments, and advertisements; (2) Standard Mail, which is primarily 
advertising mail such as catalogs, coupons, and solicitations; (3) 
Periodicals, which include publications such as mailed newspapers and 
magazines; and (4) Package Services, which is primarily packages that 
include merchandise as well as large quantities of printed material.

The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 shifted postage ratemaking 
authority from Congress to two presidentially appointed bodies: the 
USPS Board of Governors and the independent Postal Rate Commission 
(PRC). The Board of Governors is USPS's governing body, which, among 
other things, sets policy, directs and controls expenditures, and 
participates in establishing postage rates and fees. The Board consists 
of 11 members: (1) 9 Governors who are appointed by the President, with 
the advice and consent of the Senate, to 9-year staggered terms; (2) 
the Postmaster General, who is appointed by the Governors; and (3) the 
Deputy Postmaster General, who is appointed by the Governors and the 
Postmaster General. By law, Governors are chosen to represent the 
public interest and cannot be representatives of special interests. 
They serve part time and may be removed only for cause. Not more than 
five of the nine Governors may belong to the same political party. No 
other qualifications or restrictions are specified in law.

PRC is an independent establishment of the executive branch that is 
composed of five full-time Commissioners, who are appointed by the 
President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to 6-year 
staggered terms. Among other things, PRC Commissioners review proposed 
changes to domestic postage rates and fees and appeals of USPS 
decisions to close post offices. By law, Commissioners shall be chosen 
on the basis of their professional qualifications and may be removed 
only for cause. Not more than three of the five Commissioners may 
belong to the same political party. No other qualifications or 
restrictions are specified in law. In addition to the five 
Commissioners, PRC has a staff of about 40 full-time employees.

When USPS wishes to change domestic postage rates and fees, it must 
submit its proposed changes and supporting material to PRC, which 
generally must render its recommended decision within 10 months. During 
that time, interested parties, such as mailer groups, individual 
mailers, companies that provide mail-related services, USPS 
competitors, postal labor unions, PRC's Office of the Consumer 
Advocate,[Footnote 4] and members of the public, have the opportunity 
to provide evidence and comments to PRC reflecting their respective 
concerns. PRC also generally holds public hearings before issuing its 
recommended decision to the Governors, who may approve, allow under 
protest, reject, or modify PRC's decision.

USPS has a break-even mandate. Thus, when USPS proposes changes to 
domestic postage rates and fees, USPS (1) projects its "revenue 
requirement" for the "test year" (a fiscal year representative of the 
period of time when the new rates will go into effect), based on the 
total estimated costs plus a provision for contingencies, and a 
provision for the recovery of prior years' losses; and (2) proposes 
rates and fees that are estimated to raise sufficient revenues to meet 
USPS's revenue requirement. USPS also proposes domestic postage rates 
and fees that are intended to fulfill the requirement in law that each 
class of mail or type of service must cover the direct and indirect 
postal costs that are attributable to that class or type of service 
plus a portion of its other remaining "institutional" costs, which 
include all "common" or "overhead" costs.[Footnote 5]

USPS has raised postage rates several times in recent years. Although 
these rate increases have contributed to the decline in mail volume, 
USPS credits the rate increases with adding billions of dollars to USPS 
revenues. USPS now plans to keep postage rates steady until 2006, 
largely because recently enacted legislation has reduced USPS's 
payments for its pension obligations. Although USPS's short-term 
financial pressures have been alleviated, fundamental issues remain 
associated with USPS's business model, which relies on mail volume 
growth to help finance rising costs, including the cost of universal 
postal service provided through an expanding delivery network. USPS has 
recognized that its business model is outmoded in today's rapidly 
changing and increasingly competitive business environment. As growth 
in mail volume has stagnated or declined, USPS has increasingly relied 
on rate increases to generate additional revenues.

Congress has debated proposals for comprehensive legislation to address 
postal transformation issues for the past decade, including USPS's 
mission, role, business model, and regulation of postage rates. None of 
these proposals have been enacted to date. When legislative action was 
not forthcoming, various postal stakeholders and we proposed that a 
presidential commission be formed to consider postal transformation 
issues and develop recommendations.

In April 2001, we put USPS's long-term financial outlook and 
transformation efforts on our high-risk list and recommended that USPS 
develop a comprehensive plan to address its financial, operational, and 
human capital challenges.[Footnote 6] In the fall of 2001, USPS's 
financial situation became even more complex and critical due to the 
events of September 11th and the subsequent use of the mail to transmit 
anthrax. These events, the economic downturn, electronic diversion of 
mail, and rate increases, among other things, have led to unprecedented 
declines in total mail volume and continuing declines in the volume of 
First-Class Mail. This mail class generates more than half of USPS's 
revenues and covers most of its institutional costs.

USPS issued its Transformation Plan in April 2002 and has begun to 
implement it. USPS's actions are useful but cannot resolve the 
fundamental and systemic challenges associated with USPS's current 
business model. These challenges threaten USPS's ability to carry out 
its mission of providing affordable, high-quality, universal postal 
services on a self-financing basis.

Given these challenges, on December 11, 2002, President Bush issued an 
executive order that established the President's Commission on the 
United States Postal Service. The executive order stated that the 
commission's mission shall be to examine the state of USPS and submit a 
report to the President by July 31, 2003, that articulates a proposed 
vision for USPS, along with recommendations for the legislative and 
administrative reforms needed to ensure the viability of postal 
services. The commission examined many issues that are critical to 
postal transformation, including the worksharing of mail. The 
commission held seven public hearings during which it received 
testimony and statements for the record from a wide variety of 
stakeholders, including USPS, PRC, postal labor unions and management 
associations, mailers, mailer groups, companies that provide mail-
related products and services, USPS competitors, subject matter 
experts, and others.

Worksharing Involves Activities Mailers Must Perform to Qualify for 
Lower Rates:

Postal worksharing activities generally involve mailers preparing, 
barcoding, sorting, or transporting mail to qualify for reduced postage 
rates, that is, worksharing rates. Worksharing rates are based on what 
are commonly referred to as worksharing discounts because the rates are 
reduced based on the costs that USPS is estimated to avoid as a result 
of mailer worksharing activities. Key worksharing activities include 
(1) barcoding and preparing mail so it can be sorted by USPS automated 
equipment, which reduces manual sorting and other USPS handling of the 
mail; (2) presorting mail, such as by ZIP Code or specific delivery 
location, to reduce the number of times USPS must sort the mail to 
route it to the addressee; and (3) entering mail at a USPS facility 
that is generally closer to the final destination of the mail, which is 
commonly referred as entering the mail deeper into USPS's network used 
to move the mail. In addition, mailers must perform numerous other 
worksharing activities, such as updating and properly formatting 
addresses to improve their quality and accuracy, thus reducing the 
amount of undeliverable and forwarded mail, as well as improving USPS's 
ability to use its automated equipment to sort the mail. To qualify for 
worksharing rates, mailers must perform worksharing activities and meet 
minimum volume requirements for bulk mailings, such as mailings of at 
least 500 letters sent via First-Class Mail that may include credit 
card bills, utility bills, advertisements, and bank statements. Aside 
from First-Class Mail that is workshared, other workshared mail may 
include bulk mailings of advertisements, magazines, local newsletters, 
or packages.

Key Worksharing Activities:

Three key worksharing activities performed by mailers are applying 
barcodes to mail and preparing it so that the mail can be sorted by 
USPS automated equipment; presorting mail, such as by ZIP Code or 
specific delivery location; and entering mail at a USPS facility that 
is generally closer to the final destination of the mail. Mailers must 
also perform numerous other worksharing activities. Specifically, 
worksharing activities include the following:

* Applying barcodes: USPS automation equipment relies heavily on 
barcodes to sort mail. Barcodes provide machine-readable ZIP Code and 
delivery point information. When mailers apply barcodes (see fig. 2) 
and prepare the mail so it is compatible with USPS automated equipment, 
USPS avoids applying barcodes or sorting the mail manually. Mailer-
barcoded mail can go directly to USPS automated equipment for 
processing.

Figure 2: Sample Envelope with Mailer-Applied Barcode:

[See PDF for image]

[End of figure]

* Sorting mail: Mailers who sort their mail, such as by groupings of 
ZIP Codes, five-digit ZIP Codes, or specific delivery locations; place 
their mail in mail trays; and then take their mail to a USPS facility 
for processing save USPS money by reducing the number of times USPS has 
to sort the mail to route it to its final destination. Such mailer 
sorting is called "presorting" because it occurs before USPS receives 
the mail. Figure 3 illustrates an example of mail sorted by five-digit 
ZIP Codes.

Figure 3: Example of Presorting Envelopes in Mail Trays by Five-Digit 
ZIP Codes:

[See PDF for image]

Note: Figure is a simplified illustration of presorting mail.

[End of figure]

* Destination entry of mail: Mailers can prepare and transport some 
mail, such as advertisements, periodicals, and packages, from where the 
mail is generated to USPS facilities that generally are closer to where 
the mail will be delivered. Destination entry mail also must meet other 
worksharing requirements, such as being presorted to qualify for a 
lower "destination entry" rate that is discounted from the rate for 
mail:

that is not destination-entered.[Footnote 7] When destination entry 
mail meets the worksharing requirements, it is generally expected to 
(1) bypass the originating USPS mail processing facilities that 
initially receive and organize mail according to areas where it will be 
delivered; and (2) be transported by the mailers to USPS's facilities 
that generally are closer to the final destination of the mail, 
including USPS's mail processing and delivery unit facilities where 
carriers pick up their mail for delivery (e.g., post offices). When 
destination entry mail is transported by mailers to USPS mail 
processing facilities, USPS processes the mail, such as sorting the 
mail, and then transports the mail to a destination delivery unit for 
delivery.[Footnote 8] In addition, mailers can receive even lower 
destination entry rates when they transport destination entry mail to 
USPS delivery unit facilities. For this mail, USPS is generally 
expected to avoid handling this mail at its mail processing facilities 
and then transporting it to its delivery unit facilities.[Footnote 9] 
Figure 4 provides a simplified illustration of how USPS handles bulk 
quantities of destination-entered mail sent from Philadelphia to Los 
Angeles, compared with how USPS handles a single letter sent by an 
individual ("Aunt Minnie") via First-Class Mail.

Figure 4: Illustration of How USPS Handles Destination-Entered Bulk 
Mail and Aunt Minnie's Letter, Both of Which Are Sent from Philadelphia 
to Los Angeles:

[See PDF for image]

[End of figure]

Worksharing rates are based on what are commonly referred to as 
"worksharing discounts." For example, for First-Class Mail, the 
worksharing discounts for workshared mail refer to the difference 
between the rates for single-piece First-Class Mail weighing up to 1 
ounce and the corresponding rates applicable to workshared mail. First-
Class Mail discounts vary depending on the worksharing activities that 
are performed and the degree of presorting, among other things. Mailers 
can barcode and presort bulk mail in exchange for lower worksharing 
rates when they meet minimum volume requirements for mail sent to 
specific areas or locations, which reduces the number of times that 
USPS sorts the mail to route it to these areas or locations.

Consider the example of letters weighing up to 1 ounce sent via First-
Class Mail that are workshared so that they will be compatible with 
USPS automation equipment. The mailer worksharing activities performed 
for these letters include barcoding and presorting, among other things. 
In this example, which could apply to credit card bills and utility 
bills, the workshared mail can qualify for different discounts and 
postage rates depending on the extent of worksharing activities that 
are performed. Specifically, depending on the degree of presorting of 
this barcoded mail, it can qualify for varying worksharing discounts, 
such as discounts of either 7.8 cents, 9.2 cents, or 9.5 cents per 
piece from the single-piece rate of 37 cents (see table 1).

Table 1: Selected Postage Discounts and Rates for Letters of Up to 1 
Ounce That Are Sent via First-Class Mail and Workshared to Be 
Compatible with USPS Automation Equipment:

Degree of presorting for barcoded, automation-compatible mail: 3-Digit 
presorting: Mail presorted according to ZIP Codes with the same first 3 
digits, which correspond to contiguous geographical areas such as part 
of a state; Worksharing discount: (per-piece reduction from the 37-cent 
stamp rate): 7.8 cents; Worksharing rate per piece: 29.2 cents.

Degree of presorting for barcoded, automation-compatible mail: 5-Digit 
presorting: Mail presorted according to ZIP Codes with the same first 5 
digits, which correspond to smaller geographic areas, such as towns or 
parts of a city; Worksharing discount: (per-piece reduction from the 
37-cent stamp rate): 9.2 cents; Worksharing rate per piece: 27.8 
cents.

Degree of presorting for barcoded, automation-compatible mail: Carrier 
route presorting: Mail presorted according to delivery routes of USPS 
letter carriers; Worksharing discount: (per-piece reduction from the 
37-cent stamp rate): 9.5 cents; Worksharing rate per piece: 27.5 
cents.

Source: USPS.

Note: Letters sent via First-Class Mail must be barcoded, presorted, 
and meet numerous other requirements to qualify for worksharing rates 
that apply to automation-compatible mail.

[End of table]

Mailers must fulfill numerous requirements in addition to barcoding 
and/or presorting to qualify for worksharing rates that apply to 
automation-compatible mail. These requirements are intended to reduce 
USPS's costs of handling mail and can include (1) updating addresses 
that are intended to reduce the amount of mail that USPS must forward 
or return to the sender; (2) limiting the maximum weight of each mail 
piece so workshared mail can be sorted by USPS automated equipment; (3) 
printing barcodes according to USPS specifications so the barcodes can 
be read by USPS automated equipment;, and (4) packaging mail, placing 
mail in trays, labeling trays, and performing other activities to 
enhance USPS's ability to efficiently handle the mail. Highlights of 
worksharing requirements for letters sent via First-Class Mail that 
qualify for automation-compatible discounts are shown in table 2.

Table 2: Highlights of Worksharing Requirements for Automation-
Compatible Letters Sent via First-Class Mail:

Aspect of worksharing: Addresses; Requirements: * Each letter must 
have a complete address, including the ZIP Code; * ZIP Codes must be 
checked for accuracy at least once a year; * Addresses must be 
periodically checked for accuracy against the USPS address database. 
USPS-certified software must be used to check the addresses, such as 
the accuracy of the ZIP Codes and delivery point codes used to barcode 
the letters; * At least one of the following steps must be taken:; - 
Before the mailing occurs, addresses and associated addressee names 
must be periodically updated by checking them against USPS's change of 
address database; - After the mailing occurs, an automated address 
change service can be used to correct addresses and provide mailers 
with change of address information in electronic format. Alternatively, 
envelopes must identify how USPS is to handle undeliverable-as-
addressed mail and whether USPS is to provide mailers with information 
about the addressee's new address and/or reason for nondelivery.

Aspect of worksharing: Physical; characteristics; Requirements: * 
Mail must be barcoded and presorted according to USPS specifications; 
* Letters must be proportioned according to USPS standards.

Aspect of worksharing: Other; requirements; Requirements: * Mail 
trays must be labeled according to USPS specifications; * 
Documentation of each mailing must be submitted to USPS; * Each 
mailing must include 500 or more pieces.

Source: USPS.

[End of table]

Recipients of Worksharing Rates:

Although all mailers of bulk mail can receive worksharing rates when 
they meet the worksharing requirements, in practice, for-profit 
businesses generate most workshared mail. For-profit businesses send 
about three-quarters of domestic mail and frequently send enough large-
volume mailings that meet the minimum volume requirements to qualify 
for worksharing rates. In addition, postage costs can represent a 
significant cost of doing business, providing an incentive for mailers 
to qualify for the lowest possible worksharing rates. Businesses 
typically use worksharing to send bulk mailings, including such mail as 
bills, statements, periodicals, newsletters, advertisements, and 
packages. Nonprofit entities such as charitable organizations and 
associations also generate substantial quantities of workshared mail, 
such as mailings to raise funds, solicit members, and disseminate 
information. In fiscal year 2002, nearly three-quarters of domestic 
mail received worksharing rates (see fig. 5).

Figure 5: Percentage of USPS Domestic Mail That Is Workshared and Non-
workshared:

[See PDF for image]

[End of figure]

Most domestic workshared mail is either (1) First-Class Mail, primarily 
business correspondence, bills, advertisements, and financial 
statements; or (2) Standard Mail, primarily advertisements, such as 
catalogs, coupons, flyers, and solicitations (see fig. 6).

Figure 6: Percentage of Workshared Mail by Class:

[See PDF for image]

Note: Percentages do not add to 100 percent due to rounding.

[End of figure]

By way of comparison, most non-workshared mail consists of letters 
weighing up to 1 ounce sent via First-Class Mail with 37-cent stamps. 
This mail includes such mail as remittance mail (e.g., checks sent 
through the mail to pay bills); a variety of business mail (e.g., 
individual invoices and other business correspondence); and personal 
correspondence.

The Rationale for Worksharing Is That It Benefits USPS, Mailers, and 
the Nation, but Some Concerns Have Been Raised:

USPS and PRC have said that worksharing benefits USPS, mailers and the 
mailing industry, and the nation. First, they credit worksharing with 
benefiting USPS, in part because it enables USPS to improve its 
operations and thereby helps minimize its workforce and infrastructure. 
In addition, they said worksharing benefits USPS because it stimulates 
mail volume growth, which helps USPS achieve economies of scale. 
Historically, mail volume growth has been critical to USPS's business 
model, which depends on mail volume growth to generate more revenues to 
help cover rising USPS costs. Second, they credit worksharing with 
benefiting mailers and the mailing industry. With respect to mailers, 
USPS and PRC credit worksharing with reducing the total mail-related 
costs for mailers who workshare, helping to keep postage rates 
affordable for all mailers; and improving the quality of delivery 
service. Regarding the mailing industry, USPS and PRC credit 
worksharing with spurring the development of the direct mail industry, 
as well as that of other mail-related companies that perform 
worksharing activities, enabling more mailers to participate in 
worksharing. Third, they credit worksharing with benefiting the nation, 
in part by lowering business costs, and in part by creating associated 
benefits that consumers can realize. They said consumers benefit if 
worksharing helps keep postage rates affordable; if mailers pass along 
lower prices when their mail-related costs are reduced by worksharing; 
if their workshared mail is delivered in a more expeditious and 
reliable manner; and if the mail volume growth caused by worksharing 
results in more mail that consumers consider useful, such as business 
correspondence or catalogs that some consumers find useful.

While stakeholders generally support the concept of worksharing, they 
have raised differing concerns in this area. For example, APWU has 
asserted that the worksharing discounts are too large and thus worsen 
USPS's financial situation. In contrast, some mailers and members of 
the mailing industry have asserted that the discounts are not large 
enough and thus improve USPS's financial situation. Integral to 
stakeholder differences are divergent views on technical issues 
relating to the data, assumptions, and analyses used in rate cases to 
develop the estimates of the costs that USPS is to avoid incurring in 
the test year as a result of mailer worksharing activities. In this 
regard, stakeholders have raised issues regarding (1) the quality and 
accuracy of the estimates of cost avoidance; (2) the extent to which 
USPS has avoided costs as a result of worksharing activities performed 
by mailers; and (3) whether data can be generated on what costs USPS 
has avoided as a result of mailer worksharing activities.

We recognize that stakeholders have raised detailed concerns about 
worksharing relating to technical and policy issues that are beyond the 
scope of this report. Among other things, we plan to address other 
stakeholder views on worksharing in our second report.

Worksharing Is Credited with Benefiting USPS:

According to USPS and PRC, worksharing benefits USPS by enabling it to 
improve its operations and help minimize its workforce and 
infrastructure, and by stimulating mail volume growth. Historically, 
mail volume growth has been critical to USPS's business model, which 
depends on mail volume growth to generate more revenues, which helps 
cover rising USPS costs and also helps USPS achieve economies of scale.

USPS has noted that worksharing improves its financial situation, in 
part by stimulating mail volume growth, and in part by enabling USPS to 
operate more efficiently, thereby helping USPS control its costs. USPS 
has reported that in response to worksharing discounts, mailers 
performed worksharing activities that reduced USPS's costs. In 
addition, USPS reported that worksharing requirements for automation-
compatible mail, such as requirements in the areas of address quality 
and mail preparation, have enabled USPS to make more effective use of 
its automated equipment, thereby reducing USPS's costs and improving 
service times. Further, USPS reported that well-prepared and easy-to-
process workshared mail has furthered the cost-effective deployment of 
additional automated equipment.

Specifically, USPS reported that mailer barcoding and presorting of 
mail help USPS maximize the use of its automated equipment that sorts 
up to 34,650 letters per hour, avoiding less efficient manual sorting. 
Also, some workshared mail is presented in mail trays on pallets that 
can be moved by forklifts, avoiding the need for USPS employees to 
separately handle each mail tray on the loading dock. USPS has 
estimated that the worksharing activities performed by mailers, such as 
barcoding and presorting, will reduce its costs of handling workshared 
letters that are compatible with its automation equipment and are sent 
via First-Class Mail. USPS refers to its estimated cost reduction from 
worksharing activities as "avoided costs." These avoided costs (see 
fig. 7) were estimated to result from the reduction in USPS's costs 
associated with:

* manually sorting mail (38 percent of these avoided costs);

* USPS's allied labor activities (22 percent), which are activities 
performed by USPS employees who prepare mail for processing or 
dispatch, either on the loading dock or inside the mail processing 
facility;

* USPS automated operations (20 percent), such as reduced USPS 
automated sorting of presorted mail; and:

* applying barcodes and performing associated operations on the mail 
(15 percent).[Footnote 10]

To put the potential for worksharing-related cost savings into context, 
USPS has reported that if it can change the processing of letters or 
flat-sized mail (e.g., large envelopes, catalogs, and magazines) from 
manual processing to automated processing, "there are tremendous 
savings opportunities."[Footnote 11] According to USPS, "while only 
about 8 percent of the letter mail we receive each day is processed 
manually, it accounts for one-half of letter mail processing labor 
costs."[Footnote 12] USPS has also estimated that the "labor processing 
cost" associated with manually handling letters was about $56 per 
thousand letters, which was about 11 times more costly than for 
automated processing.[Footnote 13] Thus, even a 1 percent reduction in 
the percentage of mail that USPS processes manually can result in 
significant savings.

Figure 7: Percentage of Costs That USPS Is Estimated to Avoid Because 
Mailers Perform Worksharing Activities for Automation-Compatible 
Letters Sent via First-Class Mail, by Type of USPS Cost:

[See PDF for image]

Note: See app. II for more detail on the methods and data used to 
develop this figure.

[End of figure]

According to USPS and PRC, worksharing is credited with stimulating 
mail volume growth over the past three decades, which has helped USPS 
cover rising costs and achieve economies of scale. USPS has reported 
that worksharing has been "a primary source of growth" for mail volume, 
and a PRC staff analysis concluded that mail volume growth was caused 
by the successive introduction of worksharing rates for different 
groupings of mail and for different worksharing activities (e.g., 
mailers barcoding and presorting mail).[Footnote 14] Over the past 
three decades, workshared mail has accounted for all of the growth in 
domestic mail volume. As we have reported, USPS's business model relies 
on growth in mail volume to generate revenues to help cover rising 
costs. Thus, since the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 was enacted, 
USPS's business model has relied on growth in workshared mail volume. 
The volume of workshared mail increased 365 percent from fiscal years 
1972 through 2002, while the volume of non-workshared mail declined 3 
percent over the same period (see fig. 8). However, as figure 8 shows, 
the volume of workshared mail declined in fiscal years 2001 and 2002, a 
period when USPS incurred growing financial difficulties that included 
deficits of $1.7 billion and $676 million, respectively; a freeze on 
most capital investments in USPS facilities; and rising USPS debt.

Looking back over USPS's history, when mail volume has grown, USPS 
could realize greater economies of scale, because the additional 
worksharing mail revenues exceeded the marginal costs of delivering the 
additional volumes of workshared mail. In fiscal year 2002, USPS 
employed a letter carrier workforce of about 351,000 full-time and 
part-time employees who serviced a delivery network of 139 million 
addresses that operated 6 days each week. USPS's delivery network has 
considerable fixed costs. For this reason, USPS can become more 
efficient when the volume of workshared mail increases and USPS 
realizes the associated economies of scale. Per-piece delivery costs 
can go down as USPS letter carriers deliver more mail to each address. 
For example, USPS can deliver mail less expensively, per piece, if a 
USPS letter carrier delivers a full bag of mail that includes the 
additional workshared mail volumes rather than a bag of mail that would 
be partially full if the additional workshared mail volumes were not 
included.

Figure 8: Domestic Mail Volume from Fiscal Years 1972 through 2002:

[See PDF for image]

Note: Workshared mail receives a lower rate due to mailer activities, 
such as mail preparation, barcoding, presorting, and destination entry. 
Worksharing rates for presorted First-Class Mail were implemented in 
fiscal year 1976. The implementation of the first worksharing discount 
for presorted First-Class Mail marked the inception of USPS's 
worksharing program as it is known today. GAO counted most Standard 
Mail and Periodicals volume as workshared since fiscal year 1971 in 
that USPS required presorting of this mail by ZIP Code, and the effect 
of this presorting on USPS's costs was one of several factors used to 
help establish rates for this mail.

[End of figure]

A key reason that worksharing contributed to mail volume growth is that 
mail volume has been sensitive to mailing costs. When worksharing 
reduced mailing costs, mailers expanded their use of the mail, such as 
by sending more catalogs and other advertisements to potential 
customers. Thus, worksharing helped mail compete with other 
communication and delivery alternatives. For example, some 
advertisements can be delivered either as mail or as newspaper inserts, 
or they can be delivered via other media. Also, packages can be 
delivered by USPS or private delivery companies such as United Parcel 
Service or FedEx.

The introduction of worksharing rates for First-Class Mail, Standard 
Mail, and Parcel Post reportedly stimulated growth in their mail 
volumes. Statistical studies have shown that worksharing discounts 
resulted in volume growth for these types of mail, in part because 
price increases were kept smaller than they otherwise would have been. 
For example, First-Class Mail volume growth increased after the 
introduction of presorting and barcoding discounts. Further, Standard 
Mail growth accelerated after the successive introduction of various 
presorting, barcoding, and destination entry discounts. Standard Mail 
worksharing rates were the "catalyst for increasing volumes," according 
to the PRC staff analysis.

Similarly, the introduction of destination entry rates for workshared 
Parcel Post mail in fiscal year 1991 reinvigorated mail volume growth 
for Parcel Post. Specifically, Parcel Post volume, which had declined 
from 498 million pieces in fiscal year 1972 to 128 million pieces in 
fiscal year 1990, increased to 373 million pieces in fiscal year 2002. 
Parcel Post became "a much more competitive product," according to the 
PRC staff analysis. The growth in Parcel Post volume generated 
additional USPS revenue, as well as additional contribution to USPS's 
institutional costs, even after taking into account USPS's costs 
associated with the additional Parcel Post volume.

After the introduction of destination entry discounts for Parcel Post, 
companies called consolidators emerged to collect Parcel Post mail from 
multiple mailers, sort their mail, and transport it to USPS's 
destinating facilities. By combining mail from multiple mailers into 
larger mailings, these consolidators can qualify the mail for lower 
worksharing rates. Most Parcel Post items are being entered at 
destinating mail processing facilities, thus reducing "upstream" USPS 
handling of the parcels at USPS's originating mail processing 
facilities. This has enabled what is often referred to as a partnership 
between USPS and the private sector to provide the complementary set of 
activities needed to prepare, barcode, sort, transport, and deliver 
Parcel Post mail.

According to USPS and PRC, the growth in workshared mail volume over 
the years has generated additional postage revenue to help cover rising 
USPS costs. These costs include the attributable costs for USPS to 
process and deliver the mail--that is, the direct and indirect costs 
that can be attributed to particular groupings of mail--as well as 
institutional costs, which are costs that are not attributed and are 
also referred to as common or overhead costs. Institutional costs 
include fixed costs associated with maintaining a national network of 
post offices and 6-day delivery of mail and common costs, which are not 
identified with individual classes of mail. Institutional costs 
represent more than one-third of all USPS costs and, like attributable 
costs, have increased over time as the compensation and benefits of 
USPS employees have increased and other costs have risen, including the 
costs of financing universally available postal services through an 
expanding delivery network.

As workshared mail volume has grown, it has accounted for a growing 
share of domestic mail revenues.[Footnote 15] In fiscal year 2002, 
workshared mail accounted for 52 percent of USPS domestic mail revenues 
(see fig. 9).

Figure 9: Share of Domestic Mail Revenue Generated by Workshared and 
Non-workshared Mail in Fiscal Year 2002:

[See PDF for image]

[End of figure]

Further, as workshared mail revenues have grown, these revenues have 
accounted for an increasing proportion of the domestic mail revenues 
that exceed the attributable costs of domestic mail and thus are 
applied to help cover USPS institutional costs. In fiscal year 2002, 
workshared mail accounted for 58 percent of domestic mail revenues that 
USPS applied to help cover its institutional costs (see fig. 10).

Figure 10: Percentage of Domestic Mail Revenues Applied to Help Cover 
USPS Institutional Costs That Were Generated by Workshared and Non-
workshared Mail in Fiscal Year 2002:

[See PDF for image]

Note: PRC cost methodology is somewhat different from USPS methodology 
and results in the attribution of a somewhat greater proportion of USPS 
costs.

[End of figure]

First-Class Mail is a particularly important category with respect to 
USPS institutional costs because it has historically covered most of 
these costs. Workshared First-Class Mail accounts for a growing 
proportion of all First-Class Mail volume; revenues; and revenues 
applied to help cover institutional costs, also referred to as the 
"contribution to institutional costs."[Footnote 16] By fiscal year 
2002, workshared First-Class Mail represented 50 percent of First-Class 
Mail volume, 39 percent of First-Class Mail revenues, and 52 percent of 
First-Class Mail contribution to institutional costs. Workshared First-
Class Mail was slightly more profitable, per piece, than non-workshared 
First-Class Mail. In fiscal year 2002, USPS data compiled according to 
PRC methodology showed that the average piece of workshared First-Class 
Mail accounted for slightly more institutional contribution per piece 
than non-workshared First-Class Mail (see fig 11). The workshared mail 
was also less costly per piece for USPS to handle than non-workshared 
First-Class Mail. For example, some non-workshared mail had handwritten 
addresses, a portion of which could not be barcoded, necessitating 
costly manual sorting by USPS employees instead of sorting by USPS 
automated equipment. Other non-workshared mail had typewritten 
addresses but could not be sorted by USPS automated equipment for a 
variety of reasons. For example, typewritten mail cannot be barcoded in 
some cases if the address is incomplete, such as missing the street 
directional (e.g., North, South), or a street suffix (e.g., St, Rd, 
Dr).

In total, workshared First-Class Mail accounted for $9.0 billion in 
contribution to cover institutional costs in fiscal year 2002, compared 
with $8.4 billion for non-workshared First-Class Mail. Aside from 
First-Class Mail, Standard Mail--virtually all of which has been 
workshared--accounted for most domestic mail revenues and most of the 
contribution to institutional costs. In fiscal year 2002, Standard Mail 
accounted for $5.1 billion in contribution to institutional costs.

Figure 11: Financial Data for Workshared and Non-workshared First-Class 
Mail in Fiscal Year 2002:

[See PDF for image]

Note: PRC cost methodology is somewhat different from USPS methodology 
and results in the attribution of a somewhat greater proportion of USPS 
costs. Contribution per piece is the amount by which revenue per piece 
exceeds attributable cost per piece, which USPS applies as contribution 
to help cover USPS institutional costs.

[End of figure]

According to USPS and PRC, worksharing is also credited with having 
important effects on USPS's infrastructure and workforce. USPS and PRC 
officials have noted that USPS requirements for the preparation of 
workshared mail furthered USPS investments in automated equipment to 
handle workshared mail efficiently, which meant that the combination of 
worksharing and automation helped USPS handle mail in a more efficient 
manner. For example, increased worksharing incentives were introduced 
for mailers to barcode letter mail and perform other activities to make 
it automation compatible when USPS was making major investments in 
automated equipment that sorts mail by reading barcodes. These 
worksharing incentives led to a sharp increase in the proportion of 
automation-compatible letter mail with mailer-applied barcodes, which 
is considered to have reduced the proportion of mail that USPS 
employees manually sort.

According to USPS, worksharing has significantly reduced USPS 
compensation costs and the size of the USPS workforce needed to process 
and handle mail. A 2001 PRC staff study stated that USPS would have 
required a much larger workforce than it currently has if USPS had to 
perform all of the worksharing tasks performed by the private sector. 
The study concluded that worksharing has reduced USPS's size and likely 
made USPS more efficient and less difficult to manage. Looking ahead, 
USPS plans to expand automated sorting of flat-sized mail, such as 
large envelopes, catalogs, and magazines, which is intended to reduce 
the need for USPS employees to sort this mail manually and help USPS 
reduce the cost of sorting flat-sized mail. If new USPS automated 
equipment is deployed, USPS would be expected to propose modified 
worksharing requirements for flat-sized mail so that it will be 
compatible with the new automation equipment.

Worksharing Is Credited with Benefiting Mailers:

USPS and PRC credit worksharing with benefiting mailers by reducing 
their total mail-related costs--that is, the cost to the mailer to 
generate mail pieces and pay the postage costs. The underlying 
rationale is as follows:

* When mailers obtain lower worksharing rates, their postage costs are 
reduced.

* Mailers' postage savings are partly offset by their costs of 
performing worksharing activities. However, mailers have an economic 
incentive to perform worksharing activities when they realize a net 
savings--that is, the difference between their reduced postage costs 
and their increased costs associated with performing worksharing 
activities.

In addition to economic incentives, worksharing is credited by USPS and 
PRC with helping keep postage rates affordable for all mailers. By 
stimulating mail volume growth, worksharing has increased the volume of 
mail that generates revenues that exceed attributable costs and thus 
helps cover USPS's institutional costs. Further, according to USPS, 
worksharing has improved the implementation of its automation program 
and thereby improved mail processing and handling generally. 
Specifically, USPS stated that because worksharing of bulk mail 
facilitated the use and further installation of automation equipment, 
it reduced USPS's costs and kept rate increases to a minimum for all 
mailers, including individuals mailing single pieces of mail like the 
proverbial Aunt Minnie.

Similarly, USPS has reported that worksharing has improved the speed of 
delivery by helping facilitate the implementation of USPS's automation 
program and handling of mail generally. In some cases, mailers 
reportedly perform worksharing primarily to improve the speed of 
delivery, such as performing destination entry for periodicals. Other 
mailers reportedly perform destination entry of packages to improve 
their speed of delivery and narrow the window when delivery will occur.

According to USPS and PRC, worksharing rates were the catalyst for the 
development of a $900 billion mailing industry that includes USPS; 
providers of mailing services that do worksharing tasks for mailers; 
and companies that depend on the mail for service fulfillment, customer 
acquisition, or customer retention, such as catalog companies, 
printers, and magazine publishers. Worksharing has enabled the mailing 
industry to perform tasks that USPS once performed exclusively, 
particularly in the areas of mail preparation, presorting, and 
transportation. The mailing industry, including USPS, employed nearly 9 
million workers in 2001.[Footnote 17] Some of the companies that 
provide mail services are known as consolidators because they combine 
letter mail, flat-sized mail, or parcels from many mailers in order to 
achieve sufficient mail volumes to qualify for the lowest possible 
worksharing rates.

Worksharing Is Credited with Benefiting the Nation:

According to USPS and PRC, worksharing benefits the nation, in part by 
lowering business costs, and in part by creating associated benefits 
that consumers can realize. USPS and PRC have concluded that total 
mail-related costs to the economy--including costs to mailers and to 
USPS--are reduced by worksharing. Their rationale is that some postal 
activities can be performed less expensively by mailers who workshare 
than by USPS, which lowers the total costs of mail. For example:

* Many worksharing mailers can organize mail by ZIP Code more 
inexpensively than USPS. Mailers can prepare workshared mail by using 
their computers to presort their mailing lists in ZIP Code order and 
then sequentially printing the addresses on each letter.

* Many worksharing mailers can use computers to barcode letters and 
print the barcodes on the letters. In comparison, when USPS processes 
non-barcoded mail, its automated equipment attempts to read the address 
and print a barcode. When these attempts are unsuccessful, USPS 
employees become involved in attempting to read the address and apply a 
barcode, and if a barcode cannot be applied, the mail is manually 
sorted.

Worksharing rates are designed to create incentives for the lowest-cost 
provider to perform certain postal activities, which can be either the 
mailer performing worksharing activities or USPS performing additional 
activities when mailers do not workshare. The USPS and PRC rationale is 
as follows:

* When postage rates are set, estimates are prepared of the costs that 
USPS is to avoid incurring as a result of the mailers' worksharing 
activities.

* PRC has a guideline for recommending worksharing discounts so that, 
as a result, the estimated reduction in USPS revenues will equal the 
estimated reduction in USPS costs. This outcome is often referred to as 
"100 percent passthrough" of the expected USPS savings to the mailer. 
That is, the full amount of whatever USPS is expected to save will be 
passed along to the mailer via the worksharing discount.

* Worksharing discounts with 100 percent passthrough create an 
incentive for the lowest-cost provider to do the work. This is because 
mailers have an incentive to workshare when they save money--which 
happens in this case when the full amount of whatever USPS is expected 
to save will be passed along to the mailers, and will be enough to 
fully offset the mailers' cost of performing the worksharing 
activities.

* Worksharing discounts with less than 100 percent passthrough can 
still create an incentive for the lowest-cost provider to do the work. 
This is because some mailers would still have an incentive to save 
money by worksharing. In this case, the portion of the USPS savings 
passed along to the mailers would still be enough to fully offset some 
mailers' worksharing costs. However, some lowest-cost providers may not 
have an incentive to workshare because the portion of expected USPS 
savings passed along to mailers would not be sufficient to fully offset 
the mailers' worksharing costs.

* Worksharing discounts with greater than 100 percent passthrough can 
create incentives for some highest-cost providers to do the work. In 
this case, some mailers could be the highest-cost providers that have 
worksharing costs covered only because USPS passed along more than its 
expected savings. Moreover, mailers who are lowest-cost providers would 
also have an incentive to workshare.

When the lowest-cost provider performs postal activities, the total 
cost of mail is reduced. This can reduce the cost of doing business. 
The economy benefits when the cost of doing business is reduced, 
whether that entails the cost of sending out bills for merchandise and 
services rendered or sending out advertisements to generate business. 
In other words, according to PRC staff, reducing the cost of doing 
business "increases the economic welfare of the nation.":

Consumers may benefit in several ways from USPS's worksharing program. 
First, consumers benefit if, as previously discussed, worksharing helps 
keep postage rates affordable for all mailers. Second, consumers 
benefit to the extent that lower mail costs are passed along in the 
form of lower prices for merchandise and services. Third, consumers 
benefit if their workshared mail is delivered in a more expeditious and 
reliable manner, as previously discussed. Fourth, consumers benefit if 
lower mail costs result in more workshared mail, to the extent that 
this increased mail volume contains information that is useful to the 
consumer. For example, additional workshared mail could include 
business correspondence, periodicals, and newsletters that some 
consumers find useful; catalogs that some consumers respond to; or 
workshared packages that USPS delivers to consumers at their request.

Stakeholders Support Worksharing but Raise Concerns in this Area:

A broad array of postal stakeholders generally express support for the 
concept of worksharing--that is, they express support for the concept 
that mailers should receive worksharing discounts in exchange for 
performing worksharing activities that lower USPS's costs. However, 
stakeholders have raised differing concerns in the worksharing area. 
APWU has generally criticized the worksharing program, while some 
members of the mailing industry have made diametrically opposing 
criticisms. For example, APWU has asserted that worksharing discounts 
are too large, but some members of the mailing industry have asserted 
that worksharing discounts are not large enough (see table 3). APWU 
believes that worksharing has eroded USPS's financial position, thus 
threatening its ability to support universal postal service. However, 
some members of the mailing industry, USPS, and PRC disagree with 
APWU's assertions. Integral to stakeholder differences are divergent 
views regarding technical issues relating to the data, assumptions, and 
analyses used in rate cases to estimate the costs that USPS is to avoid 
incurring in the test year as a result of mailer worksharing 
activities. Such cost avoidance estimates affect the size of 
worksharing discounts that are established for reasons previously 
described in this report. Further, stakeholders have raised issues 
regarding (1) the quality and accuracy of the estimates of cost 
avoidance; (2) the extent to which USPS has avoided costs as a result 
of worksharing activities performed by mailers; and (3) whether data 
can be generated on what costs USPS has avoided as a result of mailer 
worksharing activities.

Table 3: Highlights of Opposing Views on Worksharing:

Key aspects of worksharing: USPS cost savings caused by worksharing 
discounts; APWU views: Worksharing that mailers perform saves USPS less 
than the reduction in USPS revenues from the discounted mail; Views of 
some mailing industry members[A]: Worksharing that mailers perform 
saves USPS more than the reduction in USPS revenues from the discounted 
mail.

Key aspects of worksharing: Effect on USPS financial position; APWU 
views: Worksharing discounts worsen USPS's financial position, thus 
threatening its ability to finance universal postal service; Views of 
some mailing industry members[A]: Worksharing discounts improve USPS's 
financial position, thus improving its ability to finance universal 
postal service.

Key aspects of worksharing: Size of worksharing discounts; APWU views: 
Worksharing discounts are too large; Views of some mailing industry 
members[A]: Worksharing discounts are not large enough.

Key aspects of worksharing: USPS role vis-à-vis the private sector; 
APWU views: Due to worksharing discounts that are too large, the 
mailing industry performs too many postal activities; Views of some 
mailing industry members[A]: Due to worksharing discounts that are not 
large enough, the mailing industry performs too few postal activities.

Key aspects of worksharing: Establishing worksharing discounts; APWU 
views: Worksharing discounts should never be established when the 
estimated reduction in USPS revenues exceeds the estimated reduction in 
its costs; Views of some mailing industry members[A]: Worksharing 
discounts should usually not be established when the estimated 
reduction in USPS revenues exceeds the estimated reduction in its 
costs, but some exceptions can be justified.

Source: Developed by GAO based on publicly available information as of 
June 2003.

[A] The views in this table were expressed by some members of the 
mailing industry, such as mailing groups, individual mailers, and 
companies that perform worksharing activities for mailers.

[End of table]

The Legal Basis for Worksharing Rates Is Derived from Title 39 and Is 
Implemented through Postal Rate Cases and Regulations:

The primary legal basis for worksharing rates is derived from one of 
the nine factors cited in the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 that 
PRC must consider in recommending changes to domestic postage rates 
proposed by USPS. Specifically, the act requires that, in recommending 
changes to postage rates, PRC consider nine factors, including "the 
degree of preparation of mail for delivery into the postal system 
performed by the mailer and its effect upon reducing costs to 
USPS."[Footnote 18] The nine factors that PRC must consider when 
recommending domestic postage rates and fees are as follows:

* the establishment and maintenance of a fair and equitable schedule;

* the value of mail service actually provided each class of mail or 
type of mail service to both the sender and the recipient, including, 
but not limited to, the collection, mode of transportation, and 
priority of delivery;

* the requirement that each class of mail or type of mail service bear 
the direct and indirect postal costs attributable to that class or type 
plus that portion of all other costs of USPS reasonably assignable to 
such class or type;

* the effect of rate increases upon the general public, business mail 
users, and enterprises in the private sector of the economy engaged in 
the delivery of mail matter other than letters;

* the available alternative means of sending and receiving letters and 
other mail matter at reasonable costs;

* the degree of preparation of mail for delivery into the postal system 
performed by the mailer and its effect upon reducing costs to USPS;

* simplicity of structure for the entire schedule and simple, 
identifiable relationships between the rates or fees charged the 
various classes of mail for postal services;

* the educational, cultural, scientific, and informational value to the 
recipient of mail matter; and:

* such other factors as PRC deems appropriate.[Footnote 19]

By way of background, presorting of Standard Mail and periodicals by 
ZIP Code was required before the 1970 act reorganized the U.S. Post 
Office Department into USPS. In the first rate case under the 1970 act, 
PRC cited this presorting requirement, and the statutory factor 
regarding the degree of mail preparation and its effect on reducing 
USPS's costs (39 U.S.C. 3622(b)(6)), in its 1972 recommended decision 
on postage rates, as one of several reasons for recommending lower 
rates for Standard Mail and Periodicals.[Footnote 20] In 1976, a 
unanimous settlement was reached in a reclassification case that 
recognized the first specific worksharing discount--a 1-cent discount 
for presorting First-Class Mail by ZIP Code.[Footnote 21] The 
implementation of the first worksharing discount for presorted 
First-Class Mail marked the inception of USPS's worksharing program as 
it is known today. Subsequent rate cases have expanded worksharing 
rates to cover most types of mail (see table 4).

Table 4: Selected USPS Worksharing Rates Adopted from Fiscal Years 1976 
through 2002:

Type of workshared mail: Presorted First-Class Mail; Effective date: 
1976.

Type of workshared mail: Presorted Periodicals; Effective date: 1978.

Type of workshared mail: Presorted Carrier Route Standard Mail[A]; 
Effective date: 1979.

Type of workshared mail: Destination entry of Periodicals; Effective 
date: 1985.

Type of workshared mail: Barcoded letters sent via First-Class Mail; 
Effective date: 1988.

Type of workshared mail: Barcoded letters sent via Standard Mail; 
Effective date: 1988.

Type of workshared mail: Destination entry of Standard Mail letters; 
Effective date: 1991.

Type of workshared mail: Saturation Standard Mail[B]; Effective date: 
1991.

Type of workshared mail: Barcoded Periodicals; Effective date: 1991.

Type of workshared mail: Destination entry of Standard Mail; Effective 
date: 1991.

Type of workshared mail: Destination entry of Parcel Post[C]; Effective 
date: 1991.

Type of workshared mail: Barcoded flat-sized[D] First-Class Mail; 
Effective date: 1992.

Type of workshared mail: Barcoded flat-sized Standard Mail; Effective 
date: 1992.

Type of workshared mail: Barcoded flat-sized Periodicals; Effective 
date: 1992.

Type of workshared mail: Barcoded Parcel Post; Effective date: 1999.

Type of workshared mail: Periodicals prepared on pallets[E]; Effective 
date: 2002.

Source: USPS and PRC.

Note: Workshared mail receives a lower rate due to such mailer 
activities as mail preparation, presorting, barcoding, and destination 
entry. Worksharing rates for First-Class Mail were introduced in fiscal 
year 1976.

[A] Carrier Route Standard Mail is organized according to letter 
carrier routes and must meet other worksharing requirements.

[B] Saturation Standard Mail is delivered to a minimum percentage of 
the addresses on a mail delivery route.

[C] Parcel Post generally consists of packages containing merchandise.

[D] Flat-sized mail includes items such as large envelopes, catalogs, 
newsletters, and magazines.

[E] Pallets are reusable platforms on which mail is stacked to be moved 
as a single unit, such as being moved by a forklift.

[End of table]

In addition to the nine factors listed previously, the law specifies 
that PRC is required to make a recommended decision on domestic postage 
rates and fees in accordance with the policies of Title 39 of the U.S. 
Code, which defines policies for USPS.[Footnote 22] When considering 
the relevance of Title 39 policies to PRC recommendations on 
worksharing rates, it is important to keep in mind that these rates 
represent most of USPS's entire rate structure and generate 74 percent 
of its domestic mail volume and 52 percent of its domestic mail 
revenues. Key Title 39 policies include the following:

* USPS shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide 
postal services to bind the nation together through the personal, 
educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. To 
this end, USPS shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient postal 
services to patrons in all areas.[Footnote 23]

* USPS shall plan, develop, promote, and provide adequate and efficient 
postal services at fair and reasonable rates and fees. To this end, 
USPS has the responsibility to maintain an efficient national system of 
collecting, sorting, and delivering the mail, and to provide types of 
mail service to meet the needs of different groupings of mail and mail 
users. However, USPS shall not, except as specifically authorized in 
Title 39, make any undue or unreasonable discrimination among users of 
the mails, nor shall it grant any undue or unreasonable preferences to 
any such user.[Footnote 24]

* Postage rates and fees shall be reasonable and equitable and 
sufficient to enable USPS under honest, efficient, and economical 
management to maintain and continue the development of postal services 
of the kind and quality adapted to the needs of the United States. To 
this end, postage rates and fees shall provide sufficient revenues so 
that the total estimated income and appropriations to USPS will equal 
as nearly as practicable total estimated costs of USPS.[Footnote 25]

* USPS shall promote modern and efficient operations. USPS should 
refrain from expending any funds, engaging in any practice, or entering 
into any agreement or contract (other than an employee-management 
agreement or contract between USPS and a labor union representing 
postal employees) that restricts the use of new equipment or devices 
that may reduce the cost or improve the quality of postal services, 
except where such restriction is necessary to ensure safe and healthful 
employment conditions.[Footnote 26]

Worksharing rates and classifications are implemented through federal 
regulations issued and updated by PRC and USPS. After each rate and 
classification case is completed, PRC updates the Domestic Mail 
Classification Schedule to be consistent with the outcome of the case. 
This schedule is incorporated into the Code of Federal Regulations and 
lists the terms and conditions for domestic mail classes, subclasses, 
and rate categories as well as for domestic special services, such as 
post office boxes, registered mail, and certified mail.[Footnote 27] 
Also, after each rate and classification case, USPS updates its 
Domestic Mail Manual, which is also incorporated into the Code of 
Federal Regulations, to include the worksharing rates for each specific 
type of workshared mail as well as the corresponding worksharing 
requirements.[Footnote 28]

Worksharing rates have been considered in successive postal rate cases-
-proceedings in which PRC considers USPS proposals for changing postage 
rates--dating back to the 1970s. These proceedings have established 
precedents that have further clarified the legal basis for worksharing 
rates. Over the years, the structure of worksharing rates has evolved. 
For example, in a 1995 reclassification case, USPS proposed and PRC 
recommended numerous changes to workshared rates that were intended to 
provide greater incentives for mailers to barcode their workshared 
mail, among other things. In addition, PRC also recommended some 
changes to the structure of workshared mail classifications, such as 
adding a new subclass to Standard Mail called the Enhanced Carrier 
Route subclass. This subclass was distinguished from other types of 
Standard Mail in that minimum volume requirements apply for each 
carrier route as well as requirements for including mail preparation, 
barcoding, and presorting, among other things. Enhanced Carrier Route 
mail receives lower rates in part because of the estimated cost savings 
to USPS from worksharing.

Niche Classifications and Negotiated Service Agreements Also Provide 
Lower Rates:

On a related matter, there has been long-standing and continuing debate 
over whether certain types of postage rates can be offered within 
existing law and, if so, under what circumstances. Recent debate has 
focused on rate arrangements with reduced rates agreed to by USPS and 
individual mailers that were intended to enable USPS to reduce its 
costs. In February 2002, PRC reported to Congress that rate and service 
adjustments agreed upon by USPS and individual mailers would be legally 
authorized if certain conditions are met, notably that the proposed 
agreement is submitted to PRC for prior review, be made available to 
other mailers willing to meet the same terms of service, and work to 
the mutual benefit of mail users and the postal system as a 
whole.[Footnote 29] PRC noted that USPS had proposed and PRC had 
subsequently recommended some "niche classifications" that were 
specialized classifications that included reduced, but cost-justified, 
rates or fees. Niche classifications make lower rates available to all 
mailers when they perform the required activities and meet other 
requirements of the niche classification. However, as a practical 
matter, these requirements may be tailored in a way that means few 
mailers would generate mail that would qualify for inclusion in the 
niche classification.

Recently, USPS proposed and PRC subsequently recommended a negotiated 
service agreement (NSA) between USPS and Capital One Services, Inc., 
the nation's largest-volume mailer of First-Class Mail, on a 3-year 
contractual basis. According to PRC, "negotiated service agreements are 
targeted pricing initiatives designed to encourage greater efficiencies 
and to take advantage of the Postal Service's existing pricing 
flexibility." USPS noted that "NSAs, generally, specify mutual 
agreements between the Postal Service and customers involving the 
preparation, presentation, acceptance, processing, transportation and 
delivery of mailings under particular rate, classification and service 
conditions and restrictions that go beyond those required of other 
mailers." This was the first time that USPS proposed and PRC 
recommended an NSA covering domestic mail. USPS hopes to reinvigorate 
mail volume growth through this and other yet-to-be proposed NSAs and 
also to reduce its costs through NSA requirements applying to 
qualifying mailers.

The Capital One NSA, which USPS's Governors approved in June 2003, 
specifies that Capital One is to receive lower rates for bulk First-
Class Mail exceeding 1.225 billion pieces of mail annually in each of 
the next 3 years, with rate discounts increasing from 3 to 6 cents as 
volumes increase above the annual threshold. During this period, USPS 
will electronically provide Capital One with information about its 
undeliverable First-Class Mail solicitations instead of physically 
returning the mail to Capital One. USPS has stated that this change 
will result in USPS cost savings, estimating that it will avoid 
returning approximately 80 million mail pieces per year to Capital One 
during the term of the NSA. In addition, under the NSA agreement, 
Capital One has agreed to practices intended to produce accurate 
address lists, which relate to minimizing the quantity of undeliverable 
and forwarded mail that USPS must handle.[Footnote 30] Another 
provision of the NSA specifies that the total amount of the discounts 
is limited to $40.6 million over the NSA's 3-year term. This limit is 
intended to reduce the risk that the NSA discounts could reduce USPS 
revenues more than the costs that USPS avoids as a result of the NSA.

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:

We received written comments on a draft of this report from the 
Chairman of the Postal Rate Commission dated July 15, 2003, and the 
Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of the Postal Service 
dated July 16, 2003. The USPS and PRC comments are summarized below and 
reprinted in appendices III and IV, respectively. In addition, PRC and 
USPS officials provided technical and clarifying comments. All 
technical and clarifying comments were incorporated where appropriate.

The Chairman commented that worksharing rates "have provided major 
impetus for improved productive efficiency in postal services and 
stimulated the mail volume growth that has had the effect of moderating 
rate increases for all mail classes and services." He stated that the 
approach used to develop worksharing rates means that to the extent 
practicable, the rates paid by mailers who do not participate in 
worksharing do not have to increase because worksharing discounts are 
approved. He also commented that our draft report accurately describes 
the types of worksharing rates currently available to mailers and 
fairly characterizes the major policy reasons justifying current 
workshare programs.

The Chief Marking Officer and Senior Vice President commented that USPS 
believes that, overall, worksharing benefits USPS, the mailers, and the 
entire economy. She stated that worksharing enhances efficient postal 
operations and stimulates mail growth and revenue for USPS; reduces 
overall mailer costs and has encouraged development of the presort and 
direct mail industries; and "benefits the entire economy, because 
reduced mailing costs increase productivity and efficiency." She also 
commented that our draft report appeared to define the scope of 
worksharing in a slightly different manner than USPS does, and that, 
within this definition, we seemed to encompass all of the rates within 
all of the bulk mail classes as well as some NSAs and niche 
classifications. We clarified our report to address USPS's comments.

We are sending copies of this report to the Chairmen of the House 
Committee on Government Reform and its Subcommittee on Civil Service 
and Agency Reorganization; the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of 
the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs; the Chairman of its 
Subcommittee on Financial Management, the Budget, and International 
Security; the Postmaster General; the Chairman of the Postal Rate 
Commission; and other interested parties. Copies will be made available 
to others on request. In addition, this report will also be available 
on our Web site at http://www.gao.gov.

Key contributors to this report are listed in appendix V. If you or 
your staffs have any questions about this letter or the appendixes, 
please contact me at (202) 512-2834 or at ungarb@gao.gov.

Bernard L. Ungar 

Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues:

Signed by Bernard L. Ungar: 

[End of section]

Appendixes:

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology:

Our objectives for this report were to provide summary information on 
the following questions: (1) What are the key activities included in 
postal worksharing? (2) What is the rationale for worksharing, 
according to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and the Postal Rate 
Commission (PRC), the independent federal establishment that reviews 
USPS proposals for changes in domestic postage rates? and (3) What is 
the legal basis for establishing worksharing rates?

To address these objectives, we reviewed documentation of federal laws 
and regulations pertinent to worksharing, including USPS and PRC 
regulations; USPS requirements for mailer worksharing activities, such 
as USPS publications describing these requirements; and documentation 
of worksharing matters addressed in rate cases, based on publicly 
available information filed in postal rate cases. The information 
documented, among other things, USPS proposals for new worksharing 
rates, PRC recommended decisions, and USPS responses to these 
recommended decisions.

We reviewed USPS data on workshared mail that had been filed with PRC, 
such as trend data on the volumes of different types of mail. We 
compiled the total volumes of workshared mail on the basis of these 
data. Other data covered workshared mail revenues and the contribution 
that workshared mail has made to help cover USPS's institutional costs. 
We compiled data on the estimated USPS savings from mailer worksharing 
activities for automation-compatible letters sent via First-Class Mail, 
using the same methodology used by PRC in the 2000 rate case--the most 
recent rate case in which PRC recommended a methodology for making such 
projections. We did not independently assess or verify any of the data 
to determine their accuracy, nor did we assess or evaluate differences 
between PRC and USPS costing methodologies.

To obtain a better understanding of how USPS processes workshared mail, 
we visited USPS mail processing facilities in Orlando and Tampa, 
Florida, and Baltimore and Gaithersburg, Maryland, to observe how USPS 
processes workshared mail. These facilities were judgmentally selected 
on the basis of their characteristics and their geographic proximity to 
our headquarters and to mailer facilities that we also visited. We 
interviewed USPS officials at those facilities.

In addition, to obtain a better understanding of how mailers prepare 
workshared mail, we visited mailer facilities in Apopka and Tampa, 
Florida, where workshared mail is prepared. Specifically, we visited 
the facilities of the Apopka facility of Sprint, where it prepares 
bills and statements; the Tampa facility of Regulus, where it receives 
remittance mail on behalf of other companies; and the Tampa facility of 
AOL/Time Warner where bills and statements are prepared. We observed 
how these facilities prepare workshared mail and interviewed 
representatives of these companies. These companies and facilities were 
judgmentally selected, based on their preparation and receipt of 
different types of workshared mail sent via First-Class Mail, 
invitations from their officials for GAO to make site visits, and their 
geographic proximity to each other. First-Class Mail represents a major 
portion of workshared mail.

We also reviewed documentation of the rationale for worksharing, 
including rate case materials; published papers and analyses; testimony 
in 2003 to the President's Commission on the United States Postal 
Service; and material provided to us by representatives of USPS, PRC, 
mailer groups, and the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). We 
interviewed representatives of groups that filed material on 
worksharing issues in the most recent rate case that resulted in 
increases in most worksharing rates, including representatives of USPS, 
PRC, PRC's Office of the Consumer Advocate, the American Bankers 
Association, APWU, the Association of Postal Commerce, the Direct 
Marketing Association, the Mail Order Association of America, the 
Mailing and Fulfillment Services Association, the Major Mailers 
Association, the National Association of Presort Mailers, and the 
Saturation Mail Coalition. Some of these groups provided us with 
analyses and other material pertaining to worksharing rates and issues. 
In addition, we reviewed published books, articles, and other 
communications written by these groups and other postal experts on 
worksharing rates and issues. We did not assess the benefits that USPS 
and PRC claimed are derived from worksharing. We also did not assess 
any of the documentation provided by stakeholders or any of the 
statements made by stakeholders that we interviewed.

To obtain information on the legal basis for worksharing, we reviewed 
pertinent laws, decisions in postal rate cases interpreting legal 
criteria for worksharing rates, and pertinent USPS and PRC regulations.

We conducted our review from June 2002 through June 2003 in Apopka, 
Tampa, and Orlando, Florida; Baltimore and Gaithersburg, Maryland; and 
Washington, D.C., in accordance with generally accepted government 
auditing standards.

[End of section]

Appendix II: Estimated USPS Avoided Costs for Automation-Compatible 
Letters That Are Workshared and Sent via First-Class Mail:

Type of USPS worksharing-related savings: 1. Automated barcoding: If 
letters were not workshared, they would not be barcoded and USPS 
automated equipment would try to read the address and apply a barcode. 
When this is unsuccessful, an electronic image of the letter would be 
sent to a facility where a USPS clerk would try to read the address and 
key in data so that a barcode could be applied; Percentage of the 
estimated costs that USPS is expected to avoid: 15.

Type of USPS worksharing-related savings: 2. Manual operations: If the 
letters were not workshared, USPS would engage in more costly manual 
processing of the mail. For example, the letters would be sorted 
manually when USPS automated equipment could not apply a barcode or 
sort the mail. Worksharing requirements attempt to minimize such 
problems by limiting the dimensions and thickness of letters, 
specifying requirements for updating of addresses, and mandating how 
the address and barcode are printed, among other things; Percentage of 
the estimated costs that USPS is expected to avoid: 38.

Type of USPS worksharing-related savings: 3. Automated operations: If 
the letters were not workshared, they would not be presorted and thus 
would require more sorting by USPS automated equipment. Also, very 
large workshared mailings are organized on pallets with each pallet 
containing mail sent to only one area. In such cases, the mail would 
generally not need to be sorted by USPS automated equipment at the 
originating mail processing facility to organize it according to the 
area where it is to be delivered. Instead, the mail can be handled on 
the loading dock and dispatched to the area where it is to be 
delivered; Percentage of the estimated costs that USPS is expected to 
avoid: 20.

Type of USPS worksharing-related savings: 4. Allied operations: If the 
letters were not workshared, they would generate more USPS "allied 
labor" costs to prepare mail for processing or dispatch, either on the 
loading dock or inside the mail processing facility. As in the above 
example of very large workshared mailings organized on pallets sent to 
only one area, each pallet can be handled in the loading dock and 
dispatched to the destinating facility without having allied labor 
separately handle each mail tray stacked on the pallet; Percentage of 
the estimated costs that USPS is expected to avoid: 22.

Type of USPS worksharing-related savings: 5. Other: If the letters were 
not workshared, USPS would incur more costs to distribute them to post 
office boxes and prepare them for delivery, among other things; 
Percentage of the estimated costs that USPS is expected to avoid: 5.

Type of USPS worksharing-related savings: Total; Percentage of the 
estimated costs that USPS is expected to avoid: 100.

Source: GAO analysis of USPS estimates for fiscal year 2003, which were 
prepared according to PRC cost methodology used in the 2000 rate case.

Note: PRC did not recommend cost estimation methods in the 2001 rate 
case because the parties agreed to a negotiated settlement that was 
subsequently approved.

[End of table]

[End of section]

Appendix III: Comments from the U.S. Postal Service:

ANITA J. BIZZOTTO CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT:

UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE:

July 16, 2003:

Mr. Bernard L. Ungar:

Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues United States General 
Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548-0001:

Dear Mr. Ungar:

Thank you for providing the Postal Service the opportunity to review 
and comment on the GAO draft report, U.S. Postal Service: A Primer on 
Postal Worksharing (GAO-03-927).

The Postal Service and GAO appear to define "worksharing" in a slightly 
different manner. The draft report states, "Postal worksharing 
activities generally involve mailers preparing, sorting, or 
transporting mail to qualify for reduced postage rates, i.e., 
worksharing rates." Within this definition, GAO seems to encompass all 
of the rates within all of the bulk mail classes as well as some 
Negotiated Service Agreements (NSAs) and "niche" classifications. The 
Postal Service generally uses the term "workshare" to refer 
specifically to mail pieces that are assessed rates discounted from 
base rates for various mail preparation, prebarcoding, sortation, or 
transportation activities.

The genesis of the workshare discount is the recognition that certain 
activities performed by the mailer avoid costs of the Postal Service 
and, therefore, the mailer should receive a portion of that cost 
avoidance. NSAs and "niche" classifications, on the other hand, can, 
but may or may not, contain worksharing attributes.

The Postal Service and the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) first 
recognized worksharing in 1976 with the introduction of a discount for 
bulk presorted First-Class Mail. From the inception of worksharing 
discounts, the Postal Service and the PRC have been concerned with both 
equity and economic efficiency. Consequently, workshare discounts are 
typically, but not exclusively, less than or equal to the cost 
avoidance estimates measured by the Postal Service. When setting 
discounts for workshare mail, however, all of the appropriate factors 
contained in the Postal Reorganization Act must be considered. 
Therefore, the workshare discounts may satisfy the requirements of the 
Act, even if they exceed 100 percent of the cost avoidance estimates 
measured by the Postal Service. Both the Postal Service and the PRC 
have agreed that there are instances where passthroughs greater than 
100 percent are appropriate, for example, to mitigate large increases 
in adversely affected rate categories. Given the uniquely operational 
aspects of workshare rates, it is not surprising that the underlying 
costs change more frequently than the discounts themselves, as the 
operating environment is constantly refined. The current rate-making 
mechanism does not provide the flexibility to adequately address these 
cost changes.

We believe that overall, worksharing benefits the Postal Service, the 
mailers and the entire economy. Worksharing enhances efficient postal 
operations and stimulates mail growth and revenue for the Postal 
Service. Worksharing reduces overall mailer costs and has encouraged 
development of the presort and direct mail industries. Worksharing 
benefits the entire economy because reduced mailing costs increase 
productivity and efficiency.

Sincerely,

Anita J. Bizzotto:

Signed by Anita J. Bizzotto:

1735 NORTH LYNN STREET ARLINGTON VA 22209-6000 703-292-3676:

FAX: 703-292-3753 www.usps.com:

[End of section]

Appendix IV: Comments from the Postal Rate Commission:

POSTAL RATE COMMISSION 
Washington, DC 20268-0001:

George A. Omas Chairman:

July 15, 2003:

Bernard L. Ungar:

Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues United States General 
Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548:

Dear Mr. Ungar:

Thank you for the opportunity to review your proposed report entitled 
U.S. Postal Service: A Primer on Postal Worksharing. The report 
accurately describes the types of worksharing rates currently available 
to mailers, and fairly characterizes the major policy reasons 
justifying current workshare programs.

Workshare rates have been available for 25 years, and during that time 
they have provided major impetus for improved productive efficiency in 
postal services, and stimulated the volume growth that has had the 
effect of moderating rate increases for all mail classes and services.

A key element in the success of workshare initiatives has been the 
adoption of efficient component pricing as the means for developing 
workshare rates. Mailers are offered discounts if they present their 
mail prepared so that the Postal Service avoids certain identifiable 
costs. Efficient component pricing limits discounts to the costs that 
the Postal Service would have incurred had it performed the avoided 
functions. This means that to the extent practicable, each rate 
category within a subclass provides the same unit (per piece) 
contribution to offset institutional costs, and the rates paid by non-
participating mailers do not have to increase when workshare discounts 
are approved. As a result, neither the Postal Service nor any 
identifiable segment of the mailing public is disadvantaged by this 
program.

This report does not attempt to assess the benefits of worksharing, and 
you indicate that GAO plans a second, follow-up report to present other 
issues and views on this general topic. In the meantime, the 
descriptive material you provide in this report should greatly 
facilitate understanding of current postal worksharing.

Sincerely,

George Omas:

Signed by George Omas:

[End of section]

Appendix V: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments:

GAO Contact:

Gerald P. Barnes, (202) 512-2834 or barnesgp@gao.gov:

Acknowledgments:

Kenneth E. John, Charles W. Bausell, Jr., Alan N. Belkin, Frederick T. 
Evans, Eric Fielding, Latesha A. Love, Mark F. Ramage, Jill P. Sayre, 
and Walter K. Vance made key contributions to this report.

(543066):

FOOTNOTES

[1] U.S. General Accounting Office, U.S. Postal Service: Key Postal 
Transformation Issues, GAO-03-812T (Washington, D.C.: May 29, 2003); 
Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: U.S. Postal Service, 
GAO-03-118 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 2003); and U.S. Postal Service: 
Deteriorating Financial Outlook Increases Need for Transformation, GAO-
02-355 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 28, 2002).

[2] 39 U.S.C. §3622(b)(6).

[3] The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 (Pub. L. 91-375) reorganized 
the U.S. Post Office Department into the U.S. Postal Service.

[4] PRC's Office of the Consumer Advocate is an office within PRC 
charged with independently representing the interests of the general 
public in rate and classification cases, to fulfill the statutory 
mandate in 39 U.S.C. §3624(a).

[5] 39 U.S.C. §3622(b)(3).

[6] U.S. General Accounting Office, U.S. Postal Service: Transformation 
Challenges Present Significant Risks, GAO-01-598T (Washington D.C.: 
Apr. 4, 2001).

[7] There are currently no destination entry rates for First-Class 
Mail.

[8] Delivery units include USPS facilities, such as post offices, post 
office stations, and branches where USPS letter carriers pick up their 
mail for delivery.

[9] Concern has been expressed that USPS transports some mail that is 
destination-entered at post offices to its mail processing facilities 
for sorting. We will address this concern in a subsequent report. 

[10] See app. II for a more detailed description of the estimated 
avoided costs. 

[11] USPS testimony in the 2001 rate case (PRC Docket No. R2001-1, 
USPS-T-39).

[12] U.S. Postal Service, United States Postal Service Annual Report 
2001 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 9, 2001). 

[13] USPS submitted this estimate in the 2001 rate case based on data 
from a 4-week period in the summer of 2001. See PRC Docket No. R2001-1, 
USPS-T-39.

[14] See Robert H. Cohen, et. al., The Impact of Using Worksharing to 
Liberalize a Postal Market (Washington, D.C.: February 2001).

[15] Domestic mail generated nearly all (94 percent) of the 
contribution toward USPS institutional costs in fiscal year 2002. 

[16] Most workshared rate reductions for First-Class Mail are based on 
selected cost differences between workshared mail and bulk metered 
mail, which is non-workshared First-Class Mail that does not receive a 
worksharing discount, is provided to USPS in bulk quantities, and has 
postage applied by a postage meter. 

[17] Estimated mailing industry revenues and employment were provided 
in Seizing Opportunity: The Report of the 2001 Mailing Industry 
Taskforce, Oct. 15, 2001, www.usps.com/strategicdirection/mitf.htm.

[18] 39 U.S.C. §3622(b)(6).

[19] 39 U.S.C. 3622(b).

[20] PRC Docket No. R71-1.

[21] PRC Docket No. MC73-1. A reclassification case can alter both 
domestic mail classifications (i.e., the listing that classifies 
domestic mail into mail classes, subclasses, and rate categories within 
subclasses) and the rates applicable to these classifications.

[22] 39 U.S.C. §3622.

[23] 39 U.S.C. §101(a).

[24] 39 U.S.C. §403. 

[25] 39 U.S.C. §3621. This has been interpreted to mandate that (1) in 
a rate case, PRC will recommend domestic postage rates that are 
estimated to generate USPS revenues equal to USPS costs in the test 
year, and (2) USPS should break even over time. 

[26] 39 U.S.C. §2010.

[27] Appendix A to Subpart C of 39 C.F.R. Part 3001, following 39 
C.F.R. §3001.68.

[28] 39 C.F.R. §111.1.

[29] U.S. Postal Rate Commission, Report to the Congress: Authority of 
the United States Postal Service to Introduce New Products and Services 
and to Enter Into Rate and Service Agreements With Individual Customers 
Or Groups of Customers, (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 11, 2002).

[30] Capital One agreed to continue its practice of checking its 
mailing lists against USPS's National Change of Address database more 
frequently than is typically required. Capital One also agreed to 
incorporate information from USPS address correction service 
notifications within 2 days of receipt. See PRC Docket No. MC2002-2. 

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