8. SUNDAY AND HOLIDAY COLLECTIONS COMPLAINT CASE: DOCKET NO. C2001-1
On October 27, 2000, a complaint was filed with the PRC, pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3662, alleging that changes in Sunday and holiday mail service implemented by the Postal Service in previous years had resulted in a nationwide or substantially nationwide change in service for which the Postal Service should have requested an advisory opinion from the PRC under 39 U.S.C. 3661. The Postal Service moved to dismiss the complaint on the grounds that it did not allege a belief that the Postal Service was failing to provide services in conformance with the policies of the Act. The PRC dismissed the portion of the complaint relating to the termination of outgoing mail service on Sundays in 1988, but it declined to dismiss the portion of the complaint relating to changes in holiday mail service. After an extensive amount of discovery, the complainant completed submission of his direct testimony in April 2002. Initial and reply briefs were filed in July 2002.

On November 5, 2002, the PRC issued a public report containing its findings and recommendations. While acknowledging that the complainant in this case had not met his burden of showing that actual holiday or holiday eve service levels are not in accordance with the Act, the Commission nonetheless took the opportunity to identify what it believes to be deficiencies in the area of holiday service.

The Commission’s most concrete recommendation was that the Postal Operations Manual (POM) and the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) should be updated to reflect current holiday practices. The Postal Service had already initiated such an effort prior to the filing of the complaint, and during the case did not dispute that updating the manuals would be desirable. Beyond that, the Commission suggests that the Postal Service needs to make a better effort to understand what level of service is needed and expected by customers on holidays, to adjust its holiday service to meet those needs and expectations, and to provide meaningful notification to the public of the holiday service levels to which the Postal Service has committed itself. In contrast, the Postal Service took the view during the case that the mailing public appreciates that there is no entitlement to outgoing mail service on federal holidays (just as there is no entitlement to normal delivery service on holidays), and that, while the Postal Service locally varies the holiday service it provides in order to manage its operations most efficiently, this approach creates no discernible hardship to mailers. Postal Service management is continuing its review of the Commission’s public report.