Dear 

Our country’s ongoing supply chain problems are well known and impact most of the American economy. What isn’t recognized are the supply chain issues the printing industry is having, primarily with paper supply. Paper supplies used for printing, packaging, and mail are stretched very thin, jeopardizing thousands of American manufacturing jobs.

What also needs to be recognized is the threat that these shortages pose to the broader United States economy. Printing is an integral part of most of our economy and a variety of service and manufacturing companies rely on print as a cornerstone of their ability to operate. The shortage of paper used for communication, packaging, labels, etc. will impede the ability of these companies to provide a service or bring a product to market. We urge Congress to act expeditiously in taking action to address this problem.

Thank you for passing the Ocean Shipping Reform Act which will modernize provisions of the law to reflect best practices in the global shipping industry.

Please continue working with the surface trucking industry to enact measures that will address the ongoing driver shortage. The supply chain issue will not be resolved without acting here.

Also, act to increase the labor pool by implementing targeted financial incentives to recruit additional truck drivers, grant temporary visas to workers willing to fill the employment gap in key sectors, and increase regulatory flexibility to make the delivery of goods and materials easier.

Our industry is not alone in feeling the pinch that the supply chain woes have created. It is a significant impediment to the recovery of the American economy and we need you take action.”

Sincerely

Jay Goldscher
President, Printing & Graphics Association MidAtlantic

The U.S. Department of Labor has just published its yearly increases to the maximum civil penalties that may be assessed via citations (OSHA) arising from a workplace safety and health inspection.

The new penalties were effective on January 15, 2022, and the minimum and maximum penalties for workplace safety violations issued by OSHA are as follows:

osha penalties

Our country’s ongoing supply chain problems are well known and impacting most of the American economy.
What isn’t recognized are the supply chain issues the printing industry is having, primarily with paper supply.
Paper supplies used for printing, packaging and mail are stretched very thin, jeopardizing thousands of American manufacturing jobs.
What also needs to be recognized is the threat that these shortages pose to the broader United States economy.

 

Printing is an integral part of most of our economy and a variety of service and manufacturing companies rely on print as a cornerstone of their ability to operate.
The shortage of paper used for communication, packaging, labels, etc. will impede the ability of these companies to provide a service or bring a product to market.

 

PGAMA is encouraging members to tell Congress about your company's supply chain issues. A sample letter has been prepared, and you are welcome to use it as is or add personal details about your company's challenges.
Click Here for the sample Letter.

 

Open Letter to Paper Manufacturers

The Hon. Carolyn Maloney                                                             The Hon. James Comer

Chairwoman                                                                              Ranking Member

Committee on Oversight and Reform                                       Committee on Oversight and Reform

U.S. House of Representatives                                                U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC  20515                                                            Washington, DC  20515

Dear Madam Chairwoman and Ranking Member Comer:

The undersigned organizations write in strong support of your bill, the Postal Service Reform Act, HR 3076.  The goals it would accomplish are vital to the future of the postal system and we urge that it be given Floor time as quickly as possible.  We also want to thank each of you for your leadership on this crucial measure, and your colleagues for their support.

We are all part of the huge industry that is reliant upon the Postal Service.  In 2019, as you know, the industry collectively generated some $1.6 trillion in revenues and employed approximately 7.3 million workers.  From the perspective of mailers, shippers and our supply chain, there is much to recommend in your bill, but two changes would be pivotal:  1) repealing the mandatory prefunding of retiree health benefits and integrating postal retirees not already enrolled into Medicare; and 2) codifying the requirement for six days of delivery and an integrated network for both mail and packages.  They would be very important steps toward stabilizing the Postal Service financially and encouraging confidence in its delivery system.

While we wholeheartedly encourage moving ahead with your bill, there remains unfinished business on ensuring a stable, predictable and certain postal system.  The ability to impose rate increases at multiples of inflation granted by the Postal Regulatory Commission, and now put into place by the Postal Service, threatens small businesses, nonprofits and charities, community newspapers, and many others around the country.  Larger businesses are already planning to divert more mail out of the system.  And the resultant loss of mail will put more pressure on packages to sustain the network, leading to larger rate increases for them and impacting the Postal Service’s competitiveness.

Further, the slowing of First-Class Mail service will have a dampening effect on its use and, in particular, is a serious concern for mail containing remittances to businesses of all sizes.  Periodicals can also ill afford slower service.  The result of these excessive rate increases coupled with service slowdowns will be to make the Postal Service’s projection of a major drop in mail volume a self-fulfilling prophecy.  At a time when the public’s confidence in USPS has badly eroded, deliberately downgrading mail is counterproductive and not in the public interest.

Circumstances underlying the Commission’s decision to allow above-inflation rate increases have dramatically changed since it closed its record in March of 2020:  USPS financial performance is much improved due to higher package volume and a rebound in mail; and Congress granted the Service $10 billion in COVID relief.  Now, your bill would reduce USPS financial liabilities by tens of billions of dollars.

Enacting your bill is essential, but please consider additional action to address the serious consequences of these rate increases and service reductions, and ensure that the Commission assesses the impact of your legislation and the other factors boosting USPS’ financial outlook.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

PGAMA Upcoming Events

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    Our mission is to communicate, advocate and educate on behalf of our members and our industry. Additionally, we offer many opportunities throughout the year to network with fellow members, suppliers, and guests at events such as our Cocktails and Connections, Golf Outings, and Holiday Parties. Along with events, we offers a wide variety of education, including our online Print University video archive and personalized in-house classes. Our association also offers credit card processing, free customer credit references, 401K programs, disability insurance, industry surveys, Print Access, a robust Group Buying Program, and many more programs and services. Best of all, we are continually growing our offerings to match the modern needs of our industry.

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"Developing a network of like-minded colleagues takes valuable time and energy. I’m so grateful that I am entrenched with PGAMA because they provide those important networking opportunities for me on a regular basis. I link up with colleagues, friends and make important connections that really make a positive impact on my business."

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