USPS Worries Mount as Number of States Fail to Deliver Mail On Time

Multiple states are reporting problems with their USPS mail delivery which is causing concern for the upcoming holiday season amongst businesses and residents alike. Some residents in Bozeman Montana have reported no service in over a week for some neighborhoods.

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This is a worrying issue for many who not only take care of bills but those who rely on medical prescriptions that get delivered through USPS.

“The last couple of days, the deliveries that were supposed to be dropped off at our home have not been delivered. They’ve put a note in our mailbox saying that they’re undeliverable,”

Sara Elushik, Bozeman Montana Resident.

This isn’t just a one-off incident, but a problem that is affecting multiple residents across Bozeman.

“I had put a bill in the mail three days ago and it stayed in my mailbox, and so on the way back from dropping the bill off, I decided I was just going to come in here [the post office] and see what was going on, and they said that people have quit and we’re not getting our mail,”

Vicky Riojas, Bozeman Montana Resident.  

If USPS Can’t Handle Summer What Happens in Winter?

The problem isn’t just one isolated incident in Montana with several similar reports from Minneapolis, Kentucky, and even Boston. Usually, the mail burden is not very high during the summer months but obviously that all changes when October and November hit in the run-up to the holidays.

If these USPS locations don’t get things under control quickly then there could be another mail crisis on our hands for the holidays of 2022.

“When the Postal Service told us repeatedly, loudly and very clearly in return for the lower the longer delivery times, you’re going to have more reliable service. It’s extremely disappointing to see what’s going on not only in Montana, Massachusetts, Kentucky, and Indiana.”

“I mean, staffing is at the highest levels in 10 years, mail delivery is down about 30%…You have mail volume going down this significantly and package volume going up. That’s a much more labor intensive area that people have to be involved in,”

Paul Steidler, USPS policy expert, The Lexington Institute. 

According to an insider at the Post Office who wished to remain anonymous when asked about the current situation implied that a combination of fast food restaurants and grocery stores were offering the same if not higher pay, with a less intense schedule and an easier onboarding process. It makes sense that with the cost of living increases across the nation ultimately money talks, and right now the USPS is not the most attractive option for many.

The number of open positions across a number of states just shows how understaffed USPS currently is.

The warning signs and red flags are there to see in a number of states and Postmaster General Louise DeJoy is going to need to do something to avoid a catastrophe later this year and to keep his 10-year “Delivering For America” plan on track.