What will be the effect of postal services?

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I am program director for a district industry-side customer council regarding current postal issues. This week there will be an educational seminar regarding this topic. We also hold monthly meetings on various issues in this area as well. What information can you share with us concerning the possible effects of Y2K on postal/parcel delivery?

Any URLs, books or periodicals concerning this matter would be greatly appreciated :-)

-- Lee (waterman@davenport.edu), October 13, 1998

Answers

You will find this recent WASHINGTON POST article relevant. http: //www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1998-10/07/039r-100798-idx.html

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), October 13, 1998.

The Federal Government has "promised" that the USPS will be ready to take up the slack if other methods (email, electronic banking, satellites, etc.) fail. That's based on official promises from the USPS head.

So you can either believe him "verbatim", or ask very penetrating, very direct questions during the next hearing. I'd recommend the latter - including what are they going to do if power is out? Are their sorting and accounting and postmark issuing programs tested compliant? If not tested yet, when will they be tested? Will the results be posted? When?

What about gas for the trucks? What is the priority of mail if companies don't (or can't) generate the automatic sorting bar codes for their direct mail inserts? What about payroll and retirement? What about union issues (overtime, hot/cold/unsuitable conditions in a office). What about backup power/water/handling systems?

Check (before the meeting) the thread below in this site about questions a reporter should ask about Y2K. In this case you have to be the skeptical "investigating" reporter, because no one else will protect your company except you.

And if the USPS fails, you may need a backup plan, or plan to shutdown until they get fixed.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), October 13, 1998.


The Postal Service may have some of these video's left. Larry Parham: Year 2000 Initiative Office 4301 Wilson BLVD. Suite 1003 Arlington VA. 22203-1819 Good Luck!

-- David (pingpongdave@dreamsoft.com), October 17, 1998.

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