Postal News Archives August 2020

Postmaster General blames inaction from Congress for USPS financial problems
8.24.2020 – Federal News Network reports: “Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told House lawmakers on Monday that the Postal Service hasn’t adjusted as quickly as expected to ongoing efforts to cut late and extra trips between mail processing facilities and local post offices, resulting in mail delays.” – C-SPAN Video – Oral Statement of USPS Board of Governors Chairman – Updates: DeJoy Spars With Democrats – Comments (Count)

DeJoy Testifies Before Congress, Commits to Delivering Election Mail on Time
8.21.2020 – NBC News reports: “Postmaster General Louis DeJoy committed to delivering ballots and election mail on time in testimony before the U.S. Senate on Friday, his first public statement since the U.S. Postal Service has come under intense scrutiny for extensive mail delays.” – C-SPAN Video – USPS Chief: Election mail will be handled securely and on time – WSJ – The Guardian – NPR – Sen. Rosen Grills DeJoy – Sen. Carper Yells Expletives – Sen. Lankford: Post office’s woes not caused by COVID – Comments (Count)

READ: House Democrats Release Revised USPS Bill, Tout More Than 200 Sponsors
8.20.2020 – CNN reports: “House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney of New York officially released Wednesday the House Democrats’ US Postal Service proposal, which the chamber will vote on in an unusual Saturday session, touting the more than 200 members of Congress who have co-sponsored the legislation.” – NALC: House Voting on Postal Relief This Weekend – Comments (Count)

Postal Service Backs Down as 20 States Sue
8.14.2020 – CNN reports: “Embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy reversed course Tuesday, saying that all changes being made to the Postal Service would be suspended until after the November 3 election, just as 20 Democratic states announced plans to file federal lawsuits. DeJoy said that some of the deferred decisions mean that retail hours at post offices will not change, mail processing equipment and blue collection boxes will remain in place and no mail processing facilities will be closed.” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Statement – NYT – WSJ – CNBC – Comments (Count)

USPS Chief Acknowledges ‘Unintended Consequences’ of Policy Changes
8.14.2020 – CNN reports: “Postmaster General Louis DeJoy acknowledged to United States Postal Service employees this week that recent procedural changes have had “unintended consequences,” but described them as necessary. “Unfortunately, this transformative initiative has had unintended consequences that impacted our overall service levels,” DeJoy wrote in a memo sent this week and obtained by CNN.” – Letter: Path Forward – Comments (Count)

House Oversight chair introduces bill to reverse organizational changes at USPS
8.12.2020 – CNN reports: “The Delivering for America Act, introduced by House Oversight and Reform chairwoman Carolyn Maloney of New York, is the latest action over the agency’s cutbacks and slow mail service ahead of the 2020 election in November that is already upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Republican donor and ally to the President, on Friday announced a hiring freeze on leadership positions in the agency and a reorganization of top leaders.” – Forbes – Comments (Count)

USPS Requesting VERA for Non-Bargaining Employees
8.07.2020 – USPS News Link reports: “These organizational changes do not initiate a reduction in force, and there are no immediate impacts to USPS employees. However, to prepare for future changes, the Postal Service has implemented a management hiring freeze and will be requesting future Voluntary Early Retirement Authority from the Office of Personnel Management for non-bargaining employees.” – USPS seeks early retirements, management hiring freeze – Comments (Count)

Democrats Demand USPS Reverse Rules Slowing Delivery
8.06.2020 – The Stamford Advocate reports: “Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill told negotiators for President Donald Trump on Wednesday that preserving funding for the U.S. Postal Service and removing new rules that have slowed delivery times are essential ingredients of a new coronavirus relief bill in a year when millions of Americans plan to vote by mail.” – Letter to PMG DeJoy From Pelosi and Schumer – Pelosi Statement – Postal Service’s Election Role Becomes Flashpoint in Stimulus Talks – Comments (Count)

House panel calls new postal chief to explain delays
8.04.2020 – Associated Press reports: “The House Oversight Committee has invited the new postmaster general to appear at a September hearing to examine operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service that are causing delays in mail deliveries across the country.” – Trump vows executive order on mail voting – Comments (Count)

8/31/20

New link: FederalDisability.org – Comments (Count)

Inspector General’s Report Details New Mail Truck Program Problems – Comments (Count)

USPS OIG: Lost and Found at the Postal Service – Comments (Count)

VICE: Sexualizing the Post Office to Save the USPS – Comments (Count)

House to Subpoena Postmaster General for USPS Documents Detailing Changes – Comments (Count)

GovExec: USPS is Fighting to Block Release of Data on Mail Delays – Comments (Count)

NALC President Rolando Addresses a Number of Issues (PDF) | Audio – Comments (Count)

NBCDFW: What happened when we put the speed of the USPS to the test? – Comments (Count)

USPS removes thousands of mailboxes each year. This year, it’s political – Comments (Count)

Common Dreams: JPMorgan Chase has offered to lease space from USPS in exchange for exclusive right to solicit postal banking customers – Comments (Count)

8/30/20

Demonstrators rally outside Valparaiso post office to protest USPS changes – Comments (Count)

Nor gloom of night? When the post office leaves town – Comments (Count)

Daily Beast: Dems Turn Table on Post Office Sabotage – Comments (Count)

8/29/20

Philly mail delays aren’t getting better – Comments (Count)

A lifeline. A community center. A business safety net. In Arizona, the mail means more than you think – Comments (Count)

Cost-cutting uncertainty mires Postal Service in more delays – Comments (Count)

Congress established the USPS as both a business and a service. That may be its fatal flaw – Comments (Count)

Postal worker who took knee lacks job retaliation, bias claims – Comments (Count)

Mail delivery suspended at L.A. public housing complex with over 1,800 residents – Comments (Count)

DOJ Interviewed USPS Board Member Bill Zollars in Federal Investigation – Comments (Count)

Blumenthal Visits Hartford Postal Facility to Plug More Funding for USPS – Comments (Count)

8/28/20

NBC News: “Three times more than the volume you would see at Christmas” – Comments (Count)

Dead “chicks” causes concern for local farmer – Comments (Count)

Postal union leaders in five battleground states say mail delays persist – Comments (Count)

Federal judge gives Trump administration 10 days to answer questions about USPS slowdowns – Comments (Count)

8/27/20

Albion Post Office employees join the USPS Million Miles Club – Comments (Count)

Bookstore owner saved by USPS during COVID – Comments (Count)

Bomb Threat Reported at South LA USPS Facility – Comments (Count)

No postage, no peace: Protesters gather at USPS board member’s San Marino home – Comments (Count)

Many small businesses rely on the USPS to compete, stay afloat – Comments (Count)

Fox Business: Nearly half of USPS employees had ‘unauthorized overtime’ last year, report finds – Comments (Count)

8/26/20

USPS OIG: Assessment of Overtime Activity – Comments (Count)

Save the Post Office: Preserve the People’s Post Office – Comments (Count)

Lexington: Postal Service’s Latest Financial Report: A Brutal July – Comments (Count)

New York Post: Democrats’ ‘postal’ panic has zero basis in fact – Comments (Count)

Poll: Fewer voters say they’re voting by mail amid uproar – Comments (Count)

APWU calls for Senate to return from recess – Comments (Count)

NYC postal workers stage protest against cutbacks | Columbus | West Sacramento | Detroit | Dallas – Comments (Count)

8/25/20

New York-led lawsuit against the Postal Service – Comments (Count)

Discarded mail sorting machine was old and broken, not brand new as first reported – Comments (Count)

New York Mag: The House Post Office Hearing Was a Clown Show – Comments (Count)

MyNorthwest: Tacoma, Wenatchee postal workers reinstall machines (however, other workers say no such plan has been put in place) – Comments (Count)

This feels different: Black postal workers on the USPS’ fate – Comments (Count)

APWU: Aug 25 @SaveThePostOffice Day of Action – Comments (Count)

When a post office is not a post office – Comments (Count)

8/24/20

Postal Service suspends mail delivery for southern Louisiana ahead of Marco – Comments (Count)

Mother Jones: Postal workers heroically rescued 1,225 ballots – Comments (Count)

VIDEO: DeJoy fights back – Comments (Count)

After Senate Hearing, Postal Chief to Appear Before House Oversight Committee Today – Comments (Count)

Senate will likely oppose the bill, which Trump has condemned as a hoax | Meadows: Bill is just a political statement – Comments (Count)

USPS warns House bill will ‘constrain the ability’ of it to make operational changes – Comments (Count)

The Nation Rallies for the USPS – Comments (Count)

Denver-area post office employees call for changes – Comments (Count)

8/23/20

NEW: Start Saving With T-Mobile Wireless Perks

NYT: Mnuchin Paved Way for Postal Service Shake-Up – Comments (Count)

Colorado Rallies Call for Fair Practices at USPS Offices | Erie | Oldsmar | Baltimore | Rochester – Comments (Count)

Business Insider: Rats reported feeding on packages of rotted fruit and meat at California’s mail centers – Comments (Count)

House passes bill to put $25 billion into USPS and reverse changes amid uproar – Comments (Count)

Forbes: Washington Postal Workers Defy USPS Orders and Reinstall Mail Sorting Machines – Comments (Count)

8/22/20

Lexington: USPS Breaking Up With First-Class Mail, Chasing Packages – Comments (Count)

Is Amazon weaning itself off ‘last mile’ Postal dependence? – Comments (Count)

In rural New Mexico, Postal Service woes started long before 2020 – Comments (Count)

Authorities say Cleveland-area postal manager stole mail filled with illicit drugs – Comments (Count)

House to vote Saturday on sending $25 billion to USPS as well as halting changes – Comments (Count)

Watchdog asks postal regulator to seek USPS data on mail delays – Comments (Count)

8/21/20

USPS launches new election mail website – Comments (Count)

NYT: Former Postal Governor David Williams Tells Congress Mnuchin Politicized Postal Service – Comments (Count)

USPS Reinstalling Blue Mailboxes Downtown – Comments (Count)

Report: Postmaster General Plans Even Bigger USPS Changes Post-Election – Comments (Count)

CNN: USPS email tells managers not to reconnect sorting machines – Comments (Count)

8/20/20

NEW: Start Saving With T-Mobile Wireless Perks

ANOTHER: USPS Truck Catches Fire in Natick – Comments (Count)

Empty mailboxes, missed rent: USPS struggles have real-world impacts – Comments (Count)

Postal Inspectors Assisted in Bannon Investigation | Yes, the Post Office Can Arrest People – Comments (Count)

Rand Paul: ‘You can’t fix the USPS until you fix their labor problem’ – Comments (Count)

USPS Issues Take Toll on eCommerce Deliveries – Comments (Count)

USPS on track for its best financial year since 2015 – Comments (Count)

Mail-order chicks are arriving dead, costing Maine farmers thousands of dollars – Comments (Count)

Years of turmoil at Postal Service governing board fueled political firestorm, critics say – Comments (Count)

8/19/20

JPMorgan Chase held talks with USPS about installing ATMs in post offices – Comments (Count)

USPS is using an outside PR firm to fight election fears – Comments (Count)

USPS scrapping usable mail sorting machines in Grand Rapids, union says – Comments (Count)

How a viral photo of USPS collection boxes became a lesson in misinformation – Comments (Count)

Tennessee postal workers struggling amid cuts, backlogs – Comments (Count)

Amid outcry over changes at USPS, a retiring Cleveland carrier’s community reflects agencies need – Comments (Count)

Ten Mail Sorting Machines Removed From Michigan – Comments (Count)

CNN: How the USPS became a political battleground – Comments (Count)

8/18/20

NALC files national-level grievance regarding Post Office Sortation Equipment Reconciliation (POSER) – Comments (Count)

Cliff Clavin has a plan to save the USPS – Comments (Count)

Goldway: Everyone should stay calm. The Post Office is Perfectly Capable of Handling Election Mail – Comments (Count)

Trump Says He Wants Faster Postal Service – Comments (Count)

Dysfunction at USPS causing mail delays locally, union leader says – Comments (Count)

House Republicans allege Democrats are fabricating USPS crisis | Rove hits back at Democrats – Comments (Count)

USPS flashback: Obama administration removed thousands of mailboxes – Comments (Count)

NJ mailboxes removed, but they’re being upgraded, USPS says – Comments (Count)

Manchin criticizes DeJoy: Guarantee mail services or resign – Comments (Count)

8/17/20

Protesters gather in person to claim voting in person ‘too dangerous’ during pandemic – Comments (Count)

AOC has a plan to save the USPS with a progressive pen pal program – Comments (Count)

Rep. Cooper (D-TN): We may have to arrest Postmaster General – Comments (Count)

House to return on Saturday to vote on legislation related to the Postal Service – Comments (Count)

USPS rerouting some mail from smaller processing plants as volumes continue to decline – Comments (Count)

Mail carriers travel the last mile to rural customers – Comments (Count)

USPS Postal Carriers Brave the Storm – Comments (Count)

Why Getting Prescriptions By Mail Is Stressing Out Employees And Stretching the USPS To Its Limits | Delays leave 82-year-old man without heart medication for a week – Comments (Count)

Internal USPS documents raise questions about effectiveness of sorting machines removal order – Comments (Count)

Pelosi to Call House Back Into Session to Vote on USPS Bill | NPR: Pelosi Calls Lawmakers Back to Block Postal Service Changes – Comments (Count)

8/16/20

Democratic-run House demanding postal leaders testify at an emergency oversight hearing on August 24th – Comments (Count)

Residents Throughout SoCal Report Increase in Package Delays From USPS – Comments (Count)

CNN: Trump’s Postmaster General in the Hot Seat – Comments (Count)

VIDEOS: Protest at PMG DeJoy’s D.C. Residence – Comments (Count)

News stories are suggesting the USPS is eliminating 671 mail processing machines to sabotage mail-in voting in favor of Trump. But how many total machines does the USPS have? It’s not an easy number to readily find, but this article says there were more than 6,000 DBCS machines in 2007 – USPS Removes 4 in Kansas City – White House chief pledges no machines removed before election day – Meadows says reports are a false political narrative – Comments (Count)

NYT: Postal Crisis Ripples Across Nation as Election Looms – Comments (Count)

VIDEO: Make the Post Office Great Again: Trump says PMG is trying to make Postal Service ‘great again’ – Trump shifts blame to Democrats for USPS problems – Comments (Count)

8/15/20

DC protesters stage ‘wake-up call’ outside home of postmaster general | Dozens protest outside postmaster general’s DC condo | File under things I never thought I’d see – Comments (Count)

VERIFY: Are USPS mailboxes being removed from Portland streets? – Comments (Count)

Postal Service Takes Center Stage as Sides Position for 2020 Election (no link) – Comments (Count)

Postal Service Inspector General investigating recent policy changes by Trump’s Postmaster General – Comments (Count)

NBC News Brian Williams: Internal Docs Show USPS Plans to Remove 671 Mail Processing Machines – Comments (Count)

USPS will stop removing collection boxes in Western states until after the election – Comments (Count)

Postal worker for 17 years: ‘It’s nerve-wracking to see what’s happening right now’ – Comments (Count)

8/14/20

Obama Reacts to Trump’s Attacks on Postal Service Funding – Comments (Count)

NALC Endorses Biden | NALC Endorses Biden-Harris – Comments (Count)

Chicago: USPS workers concerned agency isn’t doing enough to protect essential workers from COVID-19 – Comments (Count)

USPS will raise commercial parcel rates for peak season – Comments (Count)

Postal Service warns 46 states their voters could be disenfranchised by delayed mail-in ballots – Comments (Count)

USPS Confirms It Has Removed Mailboxes in Portland and Eugene – Comments (Count)

New Audit Report: Delivery Vehicle Acquisition Strategy | FOX Business: See the Finalists – Comments (Count)

Portland postal workers fight top-down changes at USPS – Comments (Count)

Audiobook Reviews by Jonathan Lowe – Scott Brick on Voice Acting – Comments (Count)

8/13/20

Lexington: Top 10 Wrong Claims About the U.S. Postal Service – Comments (Count)

Chicago post office closed for lunch – Comments (Count)

USPS seeks patent on blockchain-backed mail-in voting – Comments (Count)

Trump says he opposes USPS funding in an effort to block mail-in voting – Comments (Count)

Funding for Postal Service, Mail-In Voting Stall Coronavirus Relief Talks – Comments (Count)

Alcorn County family grateful for heroic postal worker following dog attack – Comments (Count)

Postal worker: ‘We do have the capacity to handle election mail’ – Comments (Count)

Homeless man sets USPS truck on fire in NYC – Comments (Count)

Former Deputy PMG Ron Stroman calls new changes at USPS ‘high risk’ – Comments (Count)

House Democrats continue to press DeJoy on mail delays – Comments (Count)

8/12/20

Postal carrier robbed at gunpoint in East Oakland – Comments (Count)

Jamie Lee Curtis tweets photo alleging Trump stealing the election by having USPS trucks towed – Comments (Count)

eBay reassures sellers about USPS shipping delays – Comments (Count)

Column: USPS postal carriers brave the storm, and not just the political one – Comments (Count)

Postal driver seriously injured in nearly head-on collision, pulled from truck before it became engulfed in flames – Comments (Count)

8/11/20

Postal Service to Start Negotiations for Giant Mail Truck Contract – Comments (Count)

Admirers Give Fond Farewell After Francisco Ortiz Retires From St. Helena Post Office – Comments (Count)

Reece Witherspoon Calls on Congress to Save the USPS Service For The Coming Election – Comments (Count)

Postal Service reviewing staffing in Baltimore area – Comments (Count)

USPS services temporarily close due to widespread Iowa storms – Comments (Count)

Fillmore County Journal Reports Tremendous Delays in Deliveries of Newspaper – Comments (Count)

Get yourself a tiny Jeep from the USPS – Comments (Count)

Blue USPS mailbox unbolted from the ground and stolen from Minneapolis intersection – Comments (Count)

Despite calls for his resignation, new USPS leader pledges more sweeping changes – Comments (Count)

8/10/20

UPS plans to impose substantial fees for holiday shipping – Comments (Count)

A thank you to postal workers during COVID-19 pandemic – Comments (Count)

Postal workers’ union says up to 80,000 letters held back Monday in southern Maine, USPS says figure is overblown – Comments (Count)

Mail delay blamed for uptick in turkey chick deaths – Comments (Count)

First seeds, now people are receiving unordered masks in the mail – Comments (Count)

Three charged in USPS truck driver’s killing | Man charged faces another murder charge – Comments (Count)

8/09/20

USPS looks to reduce letter carriers’ casing equipment – Comments (Count)

8/08/20

California’s Utopian post office and the woman who saved it – Comments (Count)

Chicago: Postal problems mean no checks, no medications for weeks – Comments (Count)

Mahindra drops out of USPS truck bid – Comments (Count)

Off-duty cop driving for USPS shot to death after truck stalls, Mississippi cops say – Comments (Count)

8/07/20

Melissa postal carrier retires after lengthy career – Comments (Count)

Chicago: Mail Thieves With USPS Master Key On The Loose In North Side Neighborhoods – Comments (Count)

The Hottest New Label? USPS – Comments (Count)

Baltimore: People who haven’t received mail in weeks line up at post office – Comments (Count)

NC businessman has record of success, but is drawing fire as new postmaster general (nice mask!) – Comments (Count)

8/06/20

NALC: Support USPS in Next Emergency Stimulus – Comments (Count)

Postal workers deliver extra care during pandemic – Comments (Count)

Snopes: Is USPS Purposefully Slowing Mail to Help Reelect Trump? – Comments (Count)

As veterans and VA staff report USPS prescription delays, officials say to order early – Comments (Count)

Philly lawmakers are warning of an ‘unmitigated disaster’ as post office problems lead to big mail delays – Comments (Count)

APWU President Dimondstein on PBS News Hour – Comments (Count)

8/05/20

Postal customers frustrated by delayed shipments due to coronavirus – Comments (Count)

Why the Postal Service is a Controversial Player in the Second Stimulus Bill – Comments (Count)

Hundreds of pieces of burned, water-damaged mail sit at KC’s USPS distribution center – Comments (Count)

Political Interference With USPS Is Unprecedented. Save the Post Office, Now – Comments (Count)

PHOTO: USPS truck crushed by tree during Tropical Storm Isaias | VIDEO: USPS Worker Delivers Mail in Strong Winds – Comments (Count)

Shreveport residents question late and undelivered packages – Comments (Count)

8/04/20

VICE: The Post Office’s Great Mail Slowdown is Hurting Small Businesses – Comments (Count)

Marylanders fed up with delays go to post office to get their mail – Comments (Count)

USPS is urged to stop delivering mysterious seeds – Comments (Count)

Push to buy USPS merch to help save the Post Office amid shutdown fears takes off on Twitter – Comments (Count)

Postal Service says it has ‘ample capacity’ to handle election – Comments (Count)

8/03/20

House panel calls new postal chief to explain delays – Comments (Count)

100+ Baltimore District postal workers have tested positive for COVID-19 – Comments (Count)

Martha’s Vineyard: Packages and frustration piles up – Comments (Count)

Dan Rather Voices Opinion on Trump’s Handling of Postal Service – Comments (Count)

Dad makes hilarious realization why 11-year-old daughter wants to check the mail – Comments (Count)

Seeds sent in mail from China identified by USDA (sage, cabbage, mint, roses etc.) – Comments (Count)

8/02/20

Statement from NALC on Service Issues – Comments (Count)

Mail delays are frustrating Philly residents, and a short-staffed Postal Service is struggling to keep up – Comments (Count)

Neither snow, rain, heat nor pandemic – Comments (Count)

Current USPS days-long backlog in mail delivery raises concerns about mail-in ballot process – Comments (Count)

Postal Forums: How much is your FERS Special Retirement Supplement?

8/01/20

Oregon man attacks postal employees in Ukiah Post Office parking lot – Comments (Count)

APWU president: ‘What we’re concerned about is that mail has slowed down’ – Comments (Count)

Report: COVID-19-infected, quarantined postal workers impacting service in Berkeley area – Comments (Count)

Postal services falling behind due to COVID-19 – Comments (Count)

House passes appropriations amendment to fund postal banking pilot program – Comments (Count)

USPS Says Notices About Post Office Closures Just Big Misunderstanding – Comments (Count)