Universal Postal Union - planned US withdrawal

Established in 1874, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players, with 192-country members. On October 17th, the Trump administration is expected to withdraw the United States Postal Service (USPS) from the Universal Postal Union.  The UPU ensures a universal network and fulfills an advisory, mediating and liaison role, while setting the rules for international mail exchanges.  The withdrawal would end 145 years of U.S. involvement in the international body, which is a part of the United Nations.

It is believed that a withdrawal next month would not only change the landscape of global shipping, but could more immediately threaten delivery of overseas absentee ballots and the outcome of elections this Fall.  It could disenfranchise US civilians and members of the military who cast their votes from abroad, and who may have to pay $60 or more to send their ballots back to the U.S. in order to be counted*.

Here is information from American Citizens Abroad on the subject:  https://www.americansabroad.org/news/potential-effects-of-us-withdrawal-from-the-universal-postal-union-for-us-citizens-overseas/


* This claim came from a partisan source.

Oh, gosh, this does not seem good at all. 

I don't have much time to read any of this, but how is it going to cost 60 bucks to send a ballot?

I don't have much time to read any of this, but how is it going to cost 60 bucks to send a ballot?

I want to say that's hyperbole or fear-mongering, but I can't know for sure.  But my understanding is that withdrawing from the UPU would mean the USPS would no longer have an agreement in place with foreign postal services to provide services to one another for end delivery of post that started in the other country.  For example, when you post something to the US, you put a UK stamp on, but the USPS completes delivery.  Likewise, when you're in the US and you post something to the UK, you put US postage on it, and the Royal Mail completes delivery.  The agreement to do that for each other goes away, and private companies (UPS, Fed Ex, etc.) pick up the slack (at considerable cost to the customer).

Another blow to democracy 

The system doesn’t work too well anyway on the US side from my observations.  This last 2 years I’ve mailed in my Federal and State tax returns using the Royal Mail registered delivery service and in every instance I track it to the USA within a day or 2 of posting then it gets handed over to the USPS where I register for email updates on progress, which is unbelievably slow. It can take up to 4 weeks to arrive after arriving in the USA. Sits in sorting offices for many days at a time. I had decided that next year I will look into how to send the tax returns via FedEx or UPS.

You're a brave soul to us the post! 

We have sent ours via FedEx. It gets to Indianapolis in a few days, and then on to Austin in a few days. In all, I think this last year it was 10 days from the time we dropped it off until it was listed as "signed for" at the IRS.

Luckily I can email my ballots.... but this is more Trump crap that is just so stupid

Having read a bit more about it I think it is also a lot to do with money. Some years back I used to see the USPS advertising its Priority Mail service and then the advertising stopped, but the service still remained. I read that the big carriers Fedex and UPS had successfully bribed lobbied Congress to pass a law making it illegal for the USPS to advertise its services. Apparently the next day service of Priority Mail was taking too much of their business.

This new landscape is going to mean a lot more money for the big private carriers.

Having read a bit more about it I think it is also a lot to do with money. Some years back I used to see the USPS advertising its Priority Mail service and then the advertising stopped, but the service still remained. I read that the big carriers Fedex and UPS had successfully bribed lobbied Congress to pass a law making it illegal for the USPS to advertise its services. Apparently the next day service of Priority Mail was taking too much of their business.

This new landscape is going to mean a lot more money for the big private carriers.

Interesting. They did away completely with parcel post, so the only way you can send even a small package to the UK is priority mail now, so they've obviously been moving in the direction of trying to increase revenue.

Oh, thank goodness! I think. It does seem that it's going to cost us more. But it would be less bad than the other option. (?)

UPDATE:  September 25, 2019. An agreement was reached averting the United States withdrawal from the United Postal Union (UPU).

The UN agency linking postal systems worldwide has agreed to reform its fee structure under a proposal by the United States that averted the US administration's threat to leave the global network but may mean many consumers pay more.  The compromise deal was agreed by consensus on September 25th at the Universal Postal Union’s emergency congress after two days of talks, with delegates standing to applaud.