The American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA) headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA, and the catalog marketers and other remote merchants it represents this week (Oct. 22, 2018) praised the White House’s intention to withdraw from a longstanding adjunct of the United Nations, called the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which governs global postal rates.

As currently structured, the UPU enables lightweight packages (4.4 lbs. or less) coming from foreign nations, notably China, to be shipped into and across the U.S. at rates cheaper ($1.50) than the USPS charges domestically. "For a long time, this has created unfair competition and nobody has done anything about it," said ACMA President and Executive Director Hamilton Davison. "Finally, the Administration has taken bold leadership on this issue and we applaud their actions and hope this can get a reasonable transfer price between posts."

"We support the Administration‘s actions to address a longstanding issue," Davison said, "but remain cautious that this not ultimately undermine commerce or postal finances."

Beyond its concerns over the UPU, the ACMA and its members continue to work with Congress on postal reform issues as well. "However the election shakes out," Davison said, "we look forward to working with Congressional leadership on reforming our postal system to ensure our members can continue enjoying its fine services with affordable rates."