United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Office of the Comptroller General author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-01-01 monographic deposited born digital 46 p. GA 1.13:OCG-99-21 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-21 P0b002ee1803a135e f:cg99021 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-21 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-21 OCG-99-21 Cost control Postal rates Mail delivery problems Productivity in government Industrial relations Performance measures Internal controls Risk management Financial management Accountability Internet Y2K USPS Strategic Plan Performance and Accountability Series 1999 Letter Report OCG As part of its Performance and Accountability Series, GAO provided information on the major management challenges and program risks facing the Postal Service (USPS).<p/>GAO noted that: (1) USPS has been hampered by long-standing challenges in labor-management relations that, in many instances, resulted from autocratic management styles, adversarial attitudes of employees, unions, and management, and an inappropriate and inadequate performance management system; (2) USPS' continued success will depend heavily on its ability to control operating costs, strengthen internal controls, and ensure the integrity of its services; (3) the USPS has recognized that it needs aggressive cost management and strong and effective internal operating controls to avoid unwarranted costs; (4) however, GAO has reported on the need to control costs and protect postal revenues in several areas; (5) USPS has experienced cost overruns on a number of major capital projects and failed to realize some opportunities to achieve savings; (6) major mailers and the public remain concerned about obtaining quality service at reasonable prices; (7) the USPS has committed to developing reliable indicators of postal performance corresponding to each of its performance goals so that it can track progress and meet the requirements of the Results Act; (8) USPS faces a major challenge in updating its computer systems to correctly identify dates beginning in the year 2000 and thus avoid malfunctions that could disrupt mail delivery; (9) USPS has made progress in addressing postal labor-management relations; (10) in addition, GAO has reported that USPS has made progress in implementing automation designed to improve the efficiency of letter carriers, and USPS has also reported taking steps to tighten internal controls over postal revenues and expenditures; (11) in the area of providing quality service, USPS has reported taking steps to improve mail service for several classes of mail, develop a more complete set of performance measures, and safeguard the integrity of performance data; and (12) USPS has stated that it is assigning a high priority to addressing the year 2000 problem. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-21/html/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-21.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-21/pdf/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-21.pdf GAO/OCG-99-21 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-OCG-99-21 Letter Report GAO/OCG-99-21; Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: U.S. Postal Service; Cost control Postal rates Mail delivery problems Productivity in government Industrial relations Performance measures Internal controls Risk management Financial management Accountability Internet Y2K USPS Strategic Plan Performance and Accountability Series 1999