The U.S. Postal Service is seeking permission to implement “exigent” rate increases in January averaging more than 4% on most classes of mail.

In a filing with the Postal Regulatory Commission this week, USPS asked for the ability to implement the special rate increases, along with the usual inflation-based price increases, to make up for the volume it lost during the recent recession. The PRC rejected a similar 2010 attempt to impose exigent increases of about 5.6%, but is reconsidering that ruling at the direction of a federal court (more…)