National PCC Day Comes to Hollywood

The award-winning Miami-Dade County PCC Executive Board members: (from top left) Adam Lopez, Cenveo & Industry Vice Co-Chair; Rick Suarez, Plant Manager & Postal Co-chair; Cathy Brewer, Liberty Mailing & Treasurer; Roosevelt Bruny, Zap Courier Logistics; Jennifer Rubi, Pitney Bowes; Lynn Hamilton, Oceania Cruises; Hal Paldrmann, Postmaster Miami Beach; Norman Kravitz, Phoenix Package Logistics. (from bottom left): Rose Castro, Customer Relations Coordinator & PCC Postal Administrator; Susan Reed, Florida Power & Light & Industry Co-chair; Robert Parker, Batterybob.com & Secretary; Richard Fermo, Manager Post Office Operations & Postal Vice Co-Chair; Orlando De La Osa, Postmaster Hialeah.

Tashia Romano, CRC & PCC Postal Coordinator for the Broward PCC, Greg Dodig, Southeastern Printing & West Palm Beach Industry Co-chair, Robert Weiser, Postmaster West Palm Beach & Jennifer Rubi, Pitney Bowes & Miami-Dade County PCC Executive Board Member raffle off some prizes. Photo: Rose M. Castro

Paul Curry, Sun Sentinel & Broward PCC Industry Co-Chair, Al Gator, the Postage Saver- Miami-Dade County PCCs mascot & Susan Reed, Florida Power & Light & Industry Co-Chair for the Miami-Dade County PCC spend some quality time at the event. Photo: Rose M. Castro

Jennifer Rubi, Pitney Bowes & Executive Board Member for the Miami-Dade County PCC shares with the audience the prize for participating in the scavenger hunt. Photo: Rose M. Castro

Rick Suarez, Plant Manager Miami and Susan Reed, Florida Power & Light & Industry Co-Chair for the Miami-Dade County PCC welcomed everyone to PCC Day. Photo: Rose M. Castro

Rick Suarez, Plant Manager Miami, Cathy Brewer, Liberty Mailing & Treasurer for the Miami-Dade County PCC (standing), Jeffrey Becker, District Manager, Phyllis Reed, Postmaster Delray Beach, Richard Fermo, Manager Post Office Operations, Orlando De La Osa, Postmaster Hialeah. Photo: Rose M. Castro

Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe updated local customers on the Postal Service's current situation and thanked them for their business via satellite from National PCC Day in Tampa.

District Manager Jeffrey Becker provided an update on the Postal Service's financial condition and plan to study 252 processing plants for consolidation/closure in 2012.

Shipping Solutions Specialist Charlene Miles gave a presentation on new products to a standing-room only audience.

Postal Inspector Taylor Fernandez (L) and Inspection Service General Analyst Damaris Murphy (R) talked with customers about protecting themselves against mail fraud.

Postal Center International (PCI) was one of several vendors at the local PCC event.

In his annual state of the Postal Service address to the mailing industry and on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Postal Customer Council (PCC), Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Donahoe described the Postal Service’s new reality.

“We have reduced our annual costs by more than $12 billion and our workforce has been reduced by 110,000 career employees over the past four years, but we must do significantly more to return to profitability,” said Donahoe. “We must reduce our annual costs by $20 billion by 2015 to be profitable, and we do not currently have the flexibility in our business model to achieve these cost reductions.”

Donahoe praised postal employees for their hard work to bring about incredible cost savings while at the same time achieving record levels of service. He stated the Postal Service’s financial losses are due entirely to an overly restrictive business model and should not be interpreted as an indictment of the value of mail.

The Postal Service has advanced a comprehensive package of proposals that will allow it to operate more like a business, and without several large financial mandates, including giving the Postal Service the authority to transition to a national five-day per week delivery schedule; and resolving the retiree health benefit prepayment requirement.

The Postal Service continues to make progress with reforms it can pursue without the help of Congress, including plans to study 252 mail processing facilities for potential consolidation, review 3,600 low-activity Post Offices for potential closure, consolidation or contracting, enhance and expand alternate access sites, including Village Post Offices and usps.com, modify delivery routes and service standards, and make it easier to do business with the Postal Service with new, innovative products.