Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 10, 1994 TAG: 9402100071
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
WASHINGTON - The nation's largest users of the U.S. Postal Service have proposed that the agency adopt a 10.3 percent across-the-board increase over two years, but critics immediately attacked the proposal as inadequate and self-serving.
The Mailers Council, which represents 23,000 companies that ship about three-quarters of all mail, said the increase will provide the Postal Service with a needed cash infusion when it is faced with unceasing competitive pressures and may show a $2 billion deficit for its 1994 fiscal year.
The proposal - which would boost first-class postage to 32 cents - should generate about $10 billion in postal revenue over the two years, the group said.
Never before have the nation's largest mail users joined forces to support a rate increase. But Arthur Sackler, the group's managing director, said the consensus will fall apart should the Postal Service's Board of Governors or the Postal Rate Commission, its rate-making arm, propose higher increases or fail to take the unprecedented step of applying the same rate to all classes of mail.
Postal rates have been unchanged since early 1991.
- Journal of Commerce
Boom continues in big-truck sales
Heavy-truck sales jumped 17.8 percent in January, extending the 1993 market boom that gave the industry its best performance in 14 years.
The January gain came on sales of 11,480 heavy trucks, according to preliminary figures from the American Automobile Manufacturers Association, starting the year off with a strong push after the 1993 sales increase of 32.6 percent.
Ken Kremar, director of capital goods and freight transportation at WEFA Inc. in New York, predicted sales will "back off" slightly to about 148,000 units in 1994, following last year's heavy demand.
- Journal of Commerce
UPS strike loss put at $50 million
ATLANTA - United Parcel Service estimated it lost $50 million from the Teamsters' one-day strike over the company's move to raise weight limits on packages.
The company said it will sue the union this week for damages resulting from the strike.
The two sides settled a scattered strike Monday over the shipping company's directive that its drivers handle packages weighing up to 150 pounds, more than double the previous 70-pound maximum. Both sides agreed to negotiate the weight issue.
The settlement allows the Atlanta-based company to sue for damages resulting from the strike but bars legal action against the union for violating a restraining order that prohibited the walkout.
- Associated Press
Newspaper, phone industries back bill
WASHINGTON - After years of acrimony, the newspaper and telephone industries came together Tuesday in an effort to share the bounty of the rapidly growing information superhighway.
Newspaper and regional telephone company executives told Congress they had agreed to support legislation defining ways local Bell companies may provide information services that people can call up on their computers.
Frank Bennack Jr., president and chief executive officer of The Hearst Corp., speaking for the Newspaper Association of America, said the legislation is needed to "preserve and promote competition and diversity in the electronic publishing marketplace."
James Cullen, president of Bell Atlantic, said the bill would "ensure both competition and rate-payer protection" and help Bell companies and newspapers "bring the full benefits of an advanced telecommunications network to consumers."
The two executives testified before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on telecommunications and finance.
- Hearst Newspapers
Phone companies seek rule changes
RICHMOND - Three of Virginia's local telephone companies have submitted several proposals to the State Corporation Commission that call for changes in rate regulation.
Bell Atlantic-Virginia wants the SCC to tie rate increases for basic services to inflation. Sprint/Centel-Virginia and United Telephone-Southeast also filed proposals Tuesday.
Bell Atlantic has proposed capping basic rates until 2001. Rates then could rise by no more than half the rate of inflation.
GTE Virginia has asked the SCC to broaden the rate of return it is allowing local phone companies from a maximum of 12.55 percent to a maximum of 15 percent.
- Associated Press
by CNB