Reports Of Americans Facing Unacceptable Mail Delays Continue To Pile Up Amid President Trump And Postmaster General DeJoy’s Efforts To Undermine The Post Office
Houston Chronicle (TX): From Businesses To Brides, Mail Delays Already Impacting Houston
San Francisco Chronicle (CA): Late Pension Checks And Delayed Medications: Bay Area Residents Decry Postal Service Problems
WAOW (WI): Slow Service At USPS Could Impact Local Businesses
CBS 4 Denver (CO): Coloradans Who Depend On Mail For Medication Concerned Over Postal Changes
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA): Mail Delays Threaten Georgia Absentee Ballots Delivered Too Late
Washington, D.C. – Following reports the U.S. Postal Service operational changes are leading to delays in mail delivery, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Gary Peters (D-MI) are asking for individuals, small businesses and organizations who are directly affected by Postal Service delays or operational changes to share their stories. Members of the public can report problems by visiting www.peters.senate.gov/postal.
“Postmaster General DeJoy’s reckless policy changes have decimated public trust and contributed to inexcusable delays in mail delivery, putting every American at risk,” said Leader Schumer. “I’ve heard disturbing reports of long waits for the delivery of life-saving medicines, critical supplies, and paychecks, and recently, the president made plain his desire to interfere with vote-by-mail. I’m calling on Postmaster General DeJoy to clarify exactly what the USPS’ pause in operational changes will mean for the American people. My colleagues and I remain committed to oversight of the Postal Service and to ensuring that Americans regain the timely, dependable service they rely on.”
“Since launching my investigation, I’ve heard from over 7,500 people across the country about how postal delays are harming them,” said Senator Peters. “There are too many questions that remain unanswered, including whether Postmaster General DeJoy and the Postal Service will be returning sorting machines he already removed from facilities across the country, the details of any changes he is leaving in place and any future changes he plans to enact that could continue to harm millions of Americans. Postmaster General DeJoy has repeatedly refused to clearly answer key questions and I’m going to be pressing for answers.”
Across the country, Americans are already facing serious delays.
ALABAMA
WTVY: What’s behind the mail delays? “Over the last month, Birmingham postal workers have had a hard time keeping up with demand. ‘We had like 4 or 5 machines taken out,’ said Samuel… He said he was told the sorting machine was taken away because mail volume is low due to the pandemic, but he said that's not the case.” [WTVY, 8/19/20]
CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Times: ‘Like Armageddon’: Rotting food, dead animals and chaos at postal facilities amid cutbacks. “And inside a massive mail-sorting facility in South Los Angeles, workers fell so far behind processing packages that by early August, gnats and rodents were swarming around containers of rotted fruit and meat, and baby chicks were dead inside their boxes.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/20/20]
San Francisco Chronicle: Late pension checks and delayed medications: Bay Area residents decry postal service problems. “‘I have definitely seen a slowdown,’ said Leo McArdle, a Burlingame resident who was a U.S. Army sergeant from 1962 to 1970. He depends on the mail for key documents and medications from the Department of Veterans Affairs.” [San Francisco Chronicle, 8/18/20]
ABC10: Sacramentans worried about mail-in voting as USPS slows nationwide. “Karryl Keithly told ABC10 she plans to mail in her ballot for the presidential election. But she said she has been getting her mail later than usual, which has her worried about the cutbacks happening with the US Postal Service.” [ABC10, 8/18/20]
NBC KCRA 3: People wait weeks, months for packages to be delivered. “‘Being in a rural area like Jackson we don't have a lot of shopping,’ Welch said. ‘So, I depend on my online orders.’ Marcotte said her first box only showed up after she told USPS she had called KCRA 3. She had a second box of hand sanitizer and it was delayed, too. She ordered it on July 20, and it showed up Aug. 8 via U.S. Mail.” [NBC KCRA 3, 8/16/20]
VIDEO: ABC10: Citrus Heights residents experiencing slow mail. [ABC10, 8/13/20]
NBC Palm Springs: USPS shipping delays impact local small businesses. “‘Things are not right from a shipping perspective, and it’s really, really critical to our business while we can’t have as many clients in the store to be able to ship on time,’ said Laurie Molton, founder of House of Lolo, located on El Paseo.” [NBC Palm Springs, 8/11/20]
KRON: Mail delay blamed for uptick in turkey chick deaths. “Bay Area farmers say the slowdown is costing them their livestock as well. The US Postal Service is the only real option when it comes to transporting livestock and the owner of a small Sonoma County farm, says the slowdown of shipments is quite literally killing her turkey business. ‘It took the turkey chicks so long to get here, they were half dead when I got them out of the box,’ Anna Erickson, owner of Hands Full Farm in Valley Ford, said.” [KRON, 8/9/20]
Salinas Californian: Late deliveries, missing mail: Hundreds of Salinas residents want answers from USPS. “Commenters reported missing or late mail, seeing their mail carrier delivering mail as late as 10:30 p.m. and receiving digital delivery notifications up to a day before their packages actually arrived at their homes or businesses.” [Salinas Californian, 7/22/20]
COLORADO
CBS 4 Denver: Coloradans Who Depend On Mail For Medication Concerned Over Postal Changes. “Changes at the post office have many Coloradans who depend on the mail for their medication worried. ‘My insurance makes me get medication by mail,' Jackie Anderson said… ‘I am concerned because I can’t go that many days without my medication,’ she shared.” [CBS 4 Denver, 8/19/20]
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
FOX 5 DC: Mail delays aren’t political, but personal for DC residents left waiting. “‘A lot of people get their medicine, depending on it to be mailed,’ said Bernadine Thomas. ‘Can you imagine if you’re waiting for something for your diabetes and it’s not showing up?’ The women said mail was delivered at 10:30 p.m. Thursday then nothing until Monday afternoon. Others in Ward 8 have waited up to two weeks between mail deliveries.” [FOX 5 DC, 8/17/20]
Washington Post: Amid national Postal Service crisis, D.C. area residents struggle without consistent mail. “For John Wunder in Southeast D.C., the problem looks like 70 pounds of dog food. Wunder ordered 30 pounds of food for his beagle-boxer rescue Gus online, then waited for days. He checked the Postal Service’s tracking website, which told him his package had already been delivered, although it hadn’t. The old bag ran out. Gus needed lunch.” [Washington Post, 8/15/20]
WUSA: Southeast DC residents go weeks without mail being delivered. “An older gentleman said he also hadn’t received his mail in two weeks and needed his medication that was supposed to be delivered by USPS. He said no one inside the post office could find it and they told him to check his mailbox once again.” [WUSA, 8/13/20]
FLORIDA
Bay News 9: Disabled Vet says Mail Delays are Messing with his Prescriptions. “Ted Beaumier is one of them. He’s a disabled veteran – and a former USPS maintenance manager – living in the Tampa Bay area. Beaumier tells Spectrum News a prescription delivery that was scheduled to arrive on a certain day didn’t arrive until five days later – after he ran out.” [Bay News 9, 8/19/20]
GEORGIA
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Mail delays threaten Georgia absentee ballots delivered too late. “Some absentee ballots sent in Paulding County last month didn’t arrive in voters’ mailboxes for 28 days, said Deidre Holden, the county’s elections supervisor… So far, Georgia election officials have rejected 1,575 absentee ballots because they were received after this week’s election day.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/14/20]
ILLINOIS
VIDEO: NBC Chicago: Chicago-Area Residents Call Recent Mail Delays Alarming. [NBC Chicago, 8/18/20]
CBS 2 Chicago: Postal Problems Mean No Checks, No Medications For Weeks. “With a pandemic, elections, pharmaceuticals, and stimulus checks, the mail has never been more vital and is life or death for some. ‘It took us three weeks to get our medication through the mail service,’ said Chicago resident Barbara Jackson. Snail mail may be too kind.” [CBS 2, 8/7/20]
NBC News 13: Postal services are falling behind due to COVID-19, Postal Shoppe says to expect delays. “‘We were seeing slowdowns in our priority mail and some of our packages weren't tracking. We have been trying to tell people that priority mail is not three to five days, it can be averaging a week to two,’ said [Postal Shoppe owner] Hinkle.” [NBC News 13, 7/31/20]
IOWA
Des Moines Register: Des Moines postal union chief says new postmaster's rules slowing mail delivery. “Des Moines Local 44 American Postal Workers Union President Mike Bates said that since Postmaster General Louis DeJoy banned overtime last month, supervisors have ordered trucks to leave the distribution station at exactly the prescribed time, even if workers have not yet loaded them with all of the day's mail.” [Des Moines Register, 8/17/20]
KENTUCKY
Louisville Courier-Journal: Postal Service's cost cutting is frustrating Kentuckians — and raising election concerns. “Again this week, Jenkins had not received mail for two days. And with his wife having surgery in the middle of July, he has wanted to receive billing information in a timely manner. ‘With medical bills and all those type of things coming in the mail, it's been really frustrating,’ Jenkins said.” [Louisville Courier-Journal, 8/7/20]
LOUISIANA
NOLA.com: Mail delays, frustrations grow in Louisiana as Trump opposes extra funding for Post Office. “Some had packages to send, others were waiting to collect several days’ worth of mail, and still others left as soon as they saw the line. Jasmine Williams said her grandmother, who lives nearby, doesn’t even check her mail anymore, knowing she’ll need to physically go to the post office to collect it all anyway.” [NOLA.com, 8/14/20]
ABC KTBS 3: Postal customers frustrated by delayed shipments due to coronavirus. “‘And it's just frustrating when we're paying for 2 days and then 2 weeks it's still not there,’ she added. Lavender drove to the Shreveport facility to resend boxes of packages that she says her business sent out more than a week ago, but were returned to her.” [ABC KTBS 3, 8/5/20]
MAINE
Portland Press Herald: Mail-order chicks are arriving dead, costing Maine farmers thousands of dollars. “‘We’ve never had a problem like this before,’ said Henderson, who has been running her farm for five years and regularly receives shipments of live birds. ‘Usually they arrive every three weeks like clockwork,’ she said Wednesday.” [Portland Press Herald, 8/19/20]
FOX Bangor: New US Postal Service restrictions causing delays. “‘There is one office. They have delayed mail to go out and another office that told a carrier to come back regardless if he had his whole route delivered,’ said Elrich. ‘So he missed 30 minutes of his route a couple of days, that included some prescription medication.’” [FOX Bangor, 8/12/20]
Bangor Daily News: Delivery of nearly 80,000 letters delayed in southern Maine amid policy change. “The Portland Press Herald reports that as much as 80,400 letters and other pieces of mail were left behind at the Postal Service’s Scarborough distribution center on Monday because a new policy prohibits any late trips.” [Bangor Daily News, 8/11/20]
NBC News 13: Maine postal workers outraged by new policies, delivery delays. “A new policy from the postmaster general calls for no extra trips and no overtime. The union says that led to trucks leaving about 65,000 pieces of mail behind Monday, rather than wait an extra 10 minutes for the mail to be ready.” [NBC News 13, 8/11/20]
MARYLAND
Baltimore Sun: Postal Service reviewing staffing following complaints of mail delays in Baltimore area. “Metzgar said about a dozen customers were lined up inside both the Dundalk and Essex post offices when he and Ruppersberger visited Monday. ‘A lot of the seniors had ordered prescriptions in the mail. One guy was waiting for 2 1/2 weeks for annuity checks,’ Metzgar said.” [Baltimore Sun, 8/10/20]
Baltimore Sun: Where’s my mail? As Baltimore-area customers complain of USPS delays, officials wrangle over election ballot deadlines. “In a scene replayed across the country, Czempinski joined a line that stretched out from the Dundalk post office throughout the morning Friday as frustrated residents tried to track down missing mail. She hadn’t received a single piece of mail since sometime last month, even as she sees postal trucks driving by without stopping.” [Baltimore Sun, 8/8/20]
CBS Baltimore: ‘It’s Been A Week Or More’; Baltimore County Residents Frustrated By Recent USPS Mail Delays. “For weeks, many Marylanders have been frustrated by mail delays, and some haven’t been getting their mail at all. ‘Me and my wife have been sitting here waiting for mail for the last five days,’ said Dundalk resident William Ellison.” [CBS Baltimore, 8/7/20]
ABC News 9: Baltimore-area plagued by slow, missing mail. “The line stretches outside and down the sidewalk at the post office in Dundalk… Some say they haven’t gotten any in two weeks. ‘I’m waiting on unemployment, a card and it’s just not showing up. So it should be here today, but it should’ve been here a week ago too, so I don’t really know,’ Kasandra Peros said. She said she needs the money to pay bills like her car insurance, and she’s not alone.” [ABC News 9, 8/7/20]
MASSACHUSETTS
Wicked Local: Amid postal delays, Brookline official cautions against waiting to request a mail-in ballot. “Don’t wait to get your ballot request in, says Jeff Nutting, a consultant in the Brookline town clerk’s office… Nutting said the Aug. 26 deadline ‘is not a practical date.’ The U.S. Postal Service is experiencing backlogs of mail throughout the country… Some of those mail concerns are starting to trickle down to the local level. ‘We have received some mail in ballot applications that were postmarked 5 days earlier than when we received them,’ Nutting said.” [Wicked Local, 8/4/20]
Martha’s Vineyard Times: Packages and frustration pile up. “The Post Office employee informed Seidman that the Post Office was currently scanning in packages delivered July 11 — a five-day backup. Seidman’s package was delivered to his door at 6:44 pm on July 25, 12 days after it arrived at the Post Office.” [Martha’s Vineyard Times, 8/3/20]
MICHIGAN
FOX 47 News: Postal service delays affecting Lansing veteran’s medication. “‘It's taking too long to get that vital medication to get here,’ said Carl Tielking. Tielking relies on getting his medication from the VA in the mail on time every month. ‘Cramps happen throughout the night. I can’t sleep because I have to take that medication to prevent that,’ he said.” [FOX 47 News, 8/20/20]
ABC 7 Detroit: 'We need to take the politics out of it.' Local man concerned over mail delays. “For this retiree from Rochester Hills, postal delays have real financial consequences. ‘It is very important to me. It’s just not something that I’m taking for granted. I watch it and I monitor it very, very closely,’ said Gaul. Gaul’s wife needs a medication that costs thousands of dollars. Each month, Gaul must mail claim forms to get reimbursements.” [ABC 7 Detroit, 8/13/20]
ABC News 13: Sen. Peters says 'hundreds' of Michiganders experience mail delays, calls for answers. “Senator Gary Peters, (D-Mich.), said in a media update Monday he has heard from "hundreds" of people experiencing a delay in their mail. Last week, Peters announced he opened an investigation into the United States Postal Service (USPS), in light of changes from a newly appointed Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy.” [ABC News 13, 8/10/20]
Lansing State Journal: Michigan absentee voting smashed records. Now officials are worried about mail delays. “Absentee voting smashed records in Michigan this week, although officials warn thousands of ballots across the state may not have been counted because they arrived too late by mail. Those trends are likely to continue on an even larger scale in November as people vote absentee to avoid COVID-19 exposure.” [Lansing State Journal, 8/6/20]
Bridge Michigan: Postal delays could cause trouble for Michigan’s primary election. “Michigan clerks are already reporting mail delays and worry they may impact not only the primary but the Nov. 3 general election as well… The stakes are high: In Michigan, it doesn’t matter when you send your ballot, only when it’s received. Ballots that reach local clerks after Election Day don’t count, even if they’re postmarked before it.” [Bridge Michigan, 7/29/20]
MINNESOTA
Star Tribune: In battle over mail-in voting, the mail in Minnesota is running late. “Jim Miller’s mail-order medicine typically takes five days to arrive at his home in north Minneapolis. This month, it took two weeks. Miller, a Vietnam veteran who worked 35 years for the U.S. Postal Service, asked why. The postal workers he spoke to said they had been told to curtail delivery of first-class mail.” [Star Tribune, 8/16/20]
Washington Post: Their mail was not delivered for days. Now these Minneapolis residents are worried about their votes counting. “‘I’m pissed off. We’re not getting mail for some reason,’ said Wilford, who now plans to go to the polls in person Tuesday. ‘I’ve had one heart attack already and I’m not trying to have another.’” [Washington Post, 8/8/20]
MISSISSIPPI
WJTV: Jackson USPS customers react to backup in deliveries. “Some people like Curtis Drake have said it might take double the amount of time it usually takes to arrive, and sometimes their mailboxes are empty. ‘Usually it takes about a week but lately it’s been taking two or three weeks more,’ Drake said.” [WJTV, 8/13/20]
MISSOURI
KSDK News 5: Delays at the post office could force Missouri absentee voters to the polls. “Ronald Brown of St. Louis County said that he and his wife delivered their ballots to a post office in person more than a week ago. For nine days, the online ballot tracking system said his ballot was still waiting to be processed by the United States Postal Service.” [KSDK News 5, 8/3/20]
MONTANA
Billings Post-Gazette: Postal delays spark concerns about service, mail ballot elections. “For letter carrier Julie Quilliam, the new rules contradict everything she’s ever known about the Postal Service’s priorities. ‘They don’t want to use the manpower. We have it. That’s what we’ve always done, ‘every piece every day’ was the motto,’ Quilliam said.” [Billings Post-Gazette, 8/9/20]
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Concord Monitor: Notice your mail’s been slower? You’re not alone. “At a sorting center in Manchester recently, the digitally sorted mail was scheduled to finish ten minutes after the hard dispatch time of 7 p.m. ‘Too bad, out the door, that mail stays ’til tomorrow,’ Kelble said, noting that she’d also heard local carriers are being discouraged from helping to sort small amounts of almost-ready mail before starting their route.” [Concord Monitor, 8/13/20]
NEW JERSEY
NJ.com: Your mail is being delayed, unions say. Here’s what’s happening inside U.S. post offices in N.J. “[R]eductions in overtime, short-staffing at post offices and changes to past practice for how mail is distributed are contributing to widespread issues, Bollinger said. ‘Mail is being delayed everywhere in South Jersey,’ he said.” [NJ.com, 8/17/20]
Union News Daily: Residents grow increasingly frustrated with spotty USPS. “A woman from Union Township described her experience, saying, ‘Monday there’s no mail, Tuesday there’s no mail, Wednesday there’s no mail, Thursday there’s no mail, then, finally, Friday, I get all the mail I was supposed to be getting during the week.’” [Union News Daily, 8/3/20]
NEW YORK
Spectrum News: Some Mail Is Delayed Five to Six Days in NYC, Postal Workers’ Union Says. “Like most businesses, the Astoria Bookshop closed its doors to customers when the pandemic erupted. That's when the Postal Service became a lifeline, allowing owner Lexi Beach to sell books online. But she's noticed problems recently: deliveries to her store with postmarks that are two weeks old, and books mailed to customers in Queens ending up in other states before being delivered back in New York.” [Spectrum News, 8/13/20]
Buffalo News: Mail delays, days with no delivery prompt rising concern in WNY. “Such moves result in mail delays, especially in rural areas such as parts of Cattaraugus County, said Lori Cash, president of American Postal Workers Local 183. ‘I have some zip codes that there's days they get no mail,’ Cash said. ‘I have one zip code in particular that sent me a message yesterday that they didn't get any letter mail three days in a row.’" [Buffalo News, 8/13/20]
Rochester First: Brighton residents go days without snail mail. “Brighton resident Judy Schwartz is concerned. ‘We didn’t get our mail in two days in a particular week and then we had the same experience the next week and I thought it was strange,’ said Schwartz.” [Rochester First, 8/13/20]
ABC 13 Rochester: Neighbors worry recent mail delays will affect absentee ballot voting. “With recent mail delays, some voters who are planning vote by absentee ballot are concerned their ballots won't arrive in time. Sheryl Westerman has applied for and mailed in her ballot for the past 11 years. Over the last month, she noticed her mail comes once or twice a week instead of every day.” [ABC 13 Rochester, 8/11/20]
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: 'Where's my mail?'; Mail delivery slowed; workers blame policies. “Rochester-area postal customers have begun to mutter on social media and across the back yard fence that U.S. mail delivery has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. First-class mail is showing up later than expected - sometimes many days later.” [The Democrat and Chronicle, 7/22/20]
NORTH CAROLINA
Spectrum Local News: Slow-Moving Mail Impacting Veteran's Health. “Bill Rowan says for the past 10 years he has ordered his diabetes medicine through Veterans Affairs online. It typically takes a week to come in, but his last order did not show up on time... He says his blood sugar crawled higher each day, eventually getting to catastrophic levels.” [Spectrum Local News, 8/19/20]
Fox News 8: Mail delays hurting local small business owners. “‘Every commercial business that’s not like a restaurant on this street uses the postal service to mail out product. Every single one,’ Mitchell said of Elm Street. He’s worried if these delays stick around, small business owners could be losing even more sales during the pandemic.” [Fox News 8, 8/9/20]
OHIO
Cincinnati Public Radio: Ohio’s Postal Service Problems Cause Dangerous Delays In Medication Delivery. “On August 3, Zach Matheny’s blood thinning medication was filled at his pharmacy, and sent out for delivery via the U.S. Postal Service. It never arrived.” [Cincinnati Public Radio, 8/20/20]
Cleveland 19: Lakewood mail delays to blame for receiving school forms past due dates, parents say. “Parents are receiving mail so behind schedule that important documents needed for the upcoming school year are arriving past their due dates, Lakewood residents said.” [Cleveland 19, 8/18/20]
Cleveland.com: Dismantled equipment behind Cleveland Post Office raises delivery questions. “But during periods of high volume – such as the Christmas season, or ahead of an election – the missing machines will lead to service delays, he said. Freeman said at this point, the machines are no longer usable. ‘They’re sitting out in the parking lot and getting rained on,’ he said.” [Cleveland.com, 8/17/20]
WCPO ABC 9: Where's my mail? Complaints soar about postal delays. “‘It's been a spiral effect of missing packages and medication,’ he said. ‘I don't know what to do.’ Favors depends on the mailman to deliver his prescriptions from the VA, but his medicine is now often late.” [WCPO ABC 9, 8/11/20]
ABC News 13: Northwest Ohio letter carriers ponder the mystery of mail delays. “‘The idea behind it is if it doesn’t go out on Monday, it should go out on Tuesday but we are seeing and hearing route has been sitting for multiple days without being sorted or delivered,’ said Hayden.” [ABC News 13, 7/27/20]
ProPublica: The Postal Service Is Steadily Getting Worse — Can It Handle a National Mail-In Election? “Two weeks after the polls closed in this year’s Ohio primary, two U.S. Postal Service employees showed up in the office of Diane Noonan, the director of elections in Butler County. The workers carried a tray of 317 unopened ballots that had been sitting in a Postal Service warehouse since the day before the election. The ballots would have counted if they had been delivered on time. Now, there was no way to legally count them.” [ProPublica, 7/15/20]
OKLAHOMA
102.3 KRMG: Mail delays reported in Tulsa area. “‘I’ve heard from other people that are veterans, friends of mine, who get their medicines, and they’re also being delayed,’ Bradley said. He says the main problems are new rules that limit overtime and the removal of 5 to 10 postal sorting machines.” [102.3 KRMG, 8/17/20]
Public Radio Tulsa: 'A Major Problem': Tulsa Postal Union Boss Says Mail Being Intentionally Delayed. “Bradley said that some of the parcels being delayed are extremely crucial for people to receive in a timely matter. ‘For example: I get my medication; it comes out of Muskogee and it takes one day to get it. It now takes three days,’ Bradley said. ‘That is a major problem. We do a lot of delivery of mail-in prescriptions for people. They rely on their prescriptions.’” [Public Radio Tulsa, 8/14/20]
OREGON
Willamette Week: U.S. Postal Service Confirms It Has Removed Mailboxes in Portland and Eugene. “A spokesman for the United States Postal Service confirmed that the agency has removed four blue boxes from Portland, and 27 from Eugene this week. The USPS plans to remove a few more boxes from Portland next week… Portland postal workers warned earlier this month that voters should be wary of using the mail to deliver their ballots in the final week of the August special election.” [Willamette Week, 8/13/20]
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia Inquirer: USPS says Pennsylvania mail ballots may not be delivered on time, and state warns of ‘overwhelming’ risk to voters. “The United States Postal Service warned Pennsylvania that mail ballots may not be delivered on time to be counted because the state’s deadlines are too tight for its ‘delivery standards,’ casting fresh doubt on Pennsylvania’s ability to conduct much of the 2020 election by mail.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/13/20]
WHYY: Philadelphia’s big mail problem. “Some Philly neighborhoods haven’t gotten mail delivered in three weeks, leaving some residents scrambling for their medications and paychecks. Democratic lawmakers are now raising the alarm. One big concern? That the U.S. Postal Service won’t be able to handle a surge of mail-in ballots for November’s presidential election.” [WHYY, 8/6/20]
Philadelphia Inquirer: Mail delays are frustrating Philly residents, and a short-staffed Postal Service is struggling to keep up. “Neighborhoods across the Philadelphia region are experiencing significant delays in receiving their mail, with some residents going upwards of three weeks without packages and letters, leaving them without medication, paychecks, and bills.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/2/20]
SOUTH CAROLINA
WSPA News 7: Dysfunction at USPS causing mail delays locally, union leader says. “The president of the Greenville chapter of the American Postal Workers Union, Adrienne Griffin, is warning of dysfunction in the United States Postal Service in Greenville. She said it’s slowing down mail delivery by days, and she’s worried about mail-in ballots.” [WSPA News 7, 8/17/20]
CBS News 19: Midlands residents seeing postal delivery delays. “Marsha Kent, a resident of Chapin, says she was missing a package from the post office for two weeks. ‘Informed delivery just kept saying, "pending processing," or something of that sort, in Columbia. And it pended for about two weeks.’” [CBS News 19, 8/14/20]
CBS News 19: Local business notices delays with postal service. “Mullender said her customers depend on receiving their mail or having their items delivered in a timely manner. She said it's been an issue for a while now. But even as an authorized shipper, she's still at the mercy of the USPS, leaving her customers upset at times.” [CBS News 19, 8/14/20]
TENNESSEE
WREG 3: Memphians say they’ve gone days without mail delivery. “Some Memphians say they’ve gone as long as nine days without mail delivery as the U.S. Postal Service points to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.” [WREG 3, 8/13/20]
Tennessean: Post office delays create uncertainty; Concerns arise for businesses, upcoming election. “Elena said she finds herself devoting more and more time and resources to corresponding with customers who have not received their orders. It has cost her business a ‘significant chunk’ of money.” [Tennessean, 8/6/20]
ABC News 9: Local postal workers say your mail could be delayed. “NewsChannel9 reached out to the local postal union, Chattanooga American Postal Workers Union. Their president Judy Stocker says people will see mail delays if they haven’t already.” [ABC News 9, 7/30/20]
TEXAS
The Hill: 82-year-old Texas man says USPS delays have left him without daily heart medicine for a week. “An elderly Texas man says his heart medication has remained at a Postal Service processing facility for more than a week due to delays in mail delivery affecting residents of many U.S. states.” [The Hill, 8/17/20]
Houston Chronicle: From businesses to brides, mail delays already impacting Houston. “Melissa Palacios Gonzalez, a U.S. Navy veteran, runs an accessories and clothing shop out of her home in Spring… A USPS Priority Mail order of flip flops, which was supposed to be delivered in one or two days, took a week to reach its destination, Palacios Gonzalez said.” [Houston Chronicle, 8/17/20]
San Antonio Express News: San Antonio Postal Service sorting machines ‘thrown in the trash.’ “More than two weeks ago, Silva mailed his gas payment to a utility in Floresville and his water payment to another company in La Vernia. On Monday, neither had made it to its destination, he said. Now, the utility in La Vernia is threatening to shut off his water, he said.” [San Antonio Express News, 8/17/20]
KWTX 10: Local mail delivery could be delayed as postal service focuses on cutting costs. “Workers are directed to leave on time, even if mail has not been delivered. ‘The emphasis is no longer on timely dispatching, getting the mail out and that's troubling to a lot of postal employees,’ said Charles Tillman, a representative of the Texas Postal Workers Union.” [KWTX 10, 8/12/20]
UTAH
KSLTV: Ogden Veteran Says Mail Delays Causing Prescriptions To Arrive Late. “‘My husband is a disabled vet. He gets his care through the Salt Lake City VA and it comes through the U.S. Postal Service,’ said Matheson, who spoke on behalf of her husband… However, they were both concerned when the shipment that normally takes two days to get to their Ogden home still wasn’t there on day nine.” [KSLTV, 8/14/20]
Moab Sun News: Rural Utahns worry about post offices. “‘We've got people who receive Social Security checks, pension checks and medication through the mail,’ said Van Wetter. ‘If we lost our post office, that would mean that our aging population has to travel 40 miles over two-lane highways to get those same things.’” [Moab Sun News, 8/13/20]
VIRGINIA
Roanoke Times: CASEY: Mail delivery slowdown leaves Roanoke County residents wondering. “She fears the slowdown she and Marty experienced last week is merely a glimpse of worse to come before Nov. 3. ‘I’m 75,’ Jami said. ‘I don’t want to get the COVID. Are they going to take my voice [vote] out of 350 million people?’” [Roanoke Times, 8/15/20]
Free Lance-Star: Stafford residents fed up with poor mail delivery. “After five days of waiting, Brenda Murray finally got mail delivered to her home last Friday. ‘It was not as much as I expected,’ Murray said.” [Free Lance-Star, 8/11/20]
ABC 13 News Now: People in Hampton Roads feeling impact of US Postal Service delivery delays. “Suffolk homeowner Wulf Berg served 21 years in the United States Air Force. Berg is retired and was waiting more days than usual for his mail to arrive. ‘I did not receive any mail on Tuesday or Wednesday,’ said Berg… ‘I have ordered medication about a week ago and I don’t know where the medication is,’ he said.” [ABC 13 News Now, 7/16/20]
WASHINGTON
WAOW: Post office backlogs impact hundreds of locals. “Some families say letters and packages that once only took days now takes weeks, even months to arrive. One family said they are waiting for a check that is supposed to help pay for a young man’s college tuition, but the money is weeks delayed and the bill is due soon.” [WAOW, 8/18/20]
WISCONSIN
ABC News 9: Slow service at USPS could impact local businesses. “Mishkar says she and other Etsy sellers have been experiencing difficulties with customers not getting their orders on time. Even though it's mostly out of her control, she said it can still have a negative impact on her store. ‘Buyers are getting angry and demanding refunds...’” [ABC News 9, 8/17/20]
NPR Milwaukee: Postal Delays, Errors In Wisconsin And Other Swing States Loom Over Election. “Concerns over mail delivery are coming alarmingly true in Wisconsin, where election officials continue to have problems with ballots not being delivered to voters. Nearly 700 voters in the cities of Milwaukee and Wauwatosa did not receive ballots they requested in late June for Tuesday’s primary.” [NPR Milwaukee, 8/13/20]
CBS 58: Voters, businesses concerned over delayed United States Postal Service mail times. “Whitefish Bay voter Wes Manko dropped off his absentee ballot to USPS on Saturday, Aug. 1, and as of Monday night, the clerk’s office has not received his ballot… ‘Any senior citizen is affected by this, any hardworking American that thinks their vote counts is affected by this, anyone with pre-existing conditions is affected by this,’ said Manko.” [CBS 58, 8/10/20]
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Service changes could slow state's mail delivery; USPS is vital lifeline in pandemic, election. “Sippel, like many Americans, didn't know the post office is facing financial difficulties. What Sippel does know, she said, is how important it is to get packages delivered to her home, where sometimes the letter carrier brings them to the door because he knows she has small children.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7/17/20]
ProPublica: The Postal Service Is Steadily Getting Worse — Can It Handle a National Mail-In Election? “On April 8, one day after Wisconsin’s primary, a Postal Service official found 1,600 ballots headed for Appleton and Oshkosh in an area plant, according to a May report by the Wisconsin Election Commission. Those ballots never reached voters.” [ProPublica, 7/15/20]
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