Sen. Smith presses postmaster general for answers to rural mail delivery issues

U.S. Sen. Tina Smith highlighted recent picketing at the Bemidji Post Office in a letter to the U.S. Postmaster General relating to service agreements with the online retail giant Amazon.

Bemidji postal workers picketed in the early morning hours Nov. 13 and 14 to protest working conditions. These conditions, according to the Bemidji Pioneer, include 12-hour workdays, six-day schedules, and paid leave requests repeatedly denied.

Smith pressed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on these issues, arguing the service agreements with Amazon are “interfering with timely deliveries and stretching the agency’s already-overburdened workers too thin.”

Smith said millions of Minnesotans rely on the U.S. Postal Service to pay bills, receive prescriptions and conduct essential businesses. In the letter to DeJoy, Smith wrote that “entering into contracts that your system cannot support is a breach of your responsibilities.”

The Brainerd Post Office experienced similar delays after an Amazon service agreement was implemented last holiday season and continues to struggle to maintain staff.

Smith also recently pressed the postmaster on issues relating to mail and payroll delays within the Postal Service.

The situation in rural Northern Minnesota caught the attention of the Washington Post, which published a story Tuesday featuring the Bemidji Post Office.

Listen to our KAXE Morning Show conversation on the topic above.