CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Postal delivery woes continue to plague Northeast Ohio, with nearly one-third of all single-piece first-class mail experiencing some delay, according to current USPS metrics.
The delays, which have become a defining characteristic of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s tenure, have Northeast Ohio U.S. Reps. Bob Gibbs, Anthony Gonzalez, and Bob Latta demanding answers.
The trio penned a letter to DeJoy to voice the frustrations shared by their constituents left unable to pay bills, receive government assistance, or their retirement benefits in a timely fashion.
The Postal Service woes began, in part, due to the groundswell of home deliveries during the coronavirus pandemic as people switched from shopping in person to shopping from home.
The U.S. Postal Service overall reported July 8 that the third quarter of the fiscal year 2021 — covering April 1 through June 30 — saw most first-class deliveries returning to pre-pandemic levels.
In May, Richard Clark, acting senior Post Office operations manager for the Northern Ohio District, noted that package volume had increased 70% due to Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order. During the holidays, which is the peak season for the government agency, dozens of trucks were spotted at the Cleveland Post Office distribution center waiting to unload.
Gibbs said while the USPS report on the area’s performance may not surprise many in the seventh district, it still doesn’t make it tolerable.
“Delays, lost mail, and the general sense of indifference the public feels to their complaints with the Postal Service is an institutional problem, which didn’t necessarily start under this Postmaster General,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs noted that many of the problems that some Americans in general and Ohioans experience with the USPS symbolize their larger skepticism of government-run programs.
“I have no doubt there are many individuals who, by and large, want to serve their customers. But bureaucratic inertia bogs down any progress we can make in providing a better service,” Gibbs said.
Both Latta and Gonzalez also noted how continuous delays have been plaguing their constituents.
The Postal Service has long been a favored target of conservative lawmakers who believe that privatizing mail services would making mailing more efficient and competitive. However, Democrats insist that privatizing mail services would result in higher postal costs resulting in a disaster for vulnerable and low-income communities.
In February, DeJoy testified before the House Oversight Committee about the postal slowdown. Several lawmakers accused him of purposefully delaying the mail to interfere with mail-in voting, a favored target of former President Donald Trump, who appointed DeJoy to his position. Others claimed the delays were Trump’s attempt to impact the business of favored foe, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
In his defense, DeJoy told the committee that he inherited a problem of Congress’ creation. He said the postal service lost $9 billion in 2020. It has some $80 billion in unfunded liabilities resulting from an often criticized piece of 2006 legislation that says the service must fully fund the pensions and health-care benefits of all future retirees.
DeJoy said he is working on a 10-year-plan that would address some of those problems, but some proposals include slower mail service, decreased hours, and post offices.
But the Ohio lawmakers who penned their letter said their constituents couldn’t wait for long-term solutions to problems that need fixing today.
“Over the last year, I have heard from countless constituents about the slowdown in mail delivery service,” Gonzalez said in a recent statement. “My constituents count on timely delivery to pay bills, receive prescription drugs, and operate their business. I am proud to join this letter to Postmaster DeJoy in urging the USPS to address this concern.”
Latta said he would continue urging the Postal Service to reopen the mail processing center shuttered in Toledo in 2012.
“By joining with my other Ohio colleagues on this letter, it is my hope that the Postal Service will get their act together and finally make the necessary changes that will produce tangible service improvements for our constituents,” he said.
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Ohio lawmakers want answers about continued mail delays from the U.S. Postal Service - cleveland.com
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