BEMIDJI — A U.S. Postal Service official says mail is being delivered daily in Bemidji and elsewhere and blamed media misinformation for misconceptions about package delivery and working conditions for postal carriers.
The Tuesday, Dec. 5, response comes after a November letter from U.S. Sen. Tina Smith to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, demanding answers to problems identified with rural mail delivery in Bemidji and elsewhere. Michael Gordon, USPS Midwestern regional director and director of government relations, pushed back on claims of prioritization of Amazon packages leading to delivery delays of bills, prescriptions and other mail.
“Let me begin by stating unequivocally that the U.S. Postal Service does not prioritize the delivery of mail or packages based on the customer or sender, including businesses such as Amazon,” the letter states. “This is an unfortunate and inexplicable falsehood that I regret to see congressional offices also expressing publicly.”
In an interview Thursday on the KAXE Morning Show, the Democratic senator said she found Gordon’s letter insulting to the people of Bemidji.
“They can see firsthand what the reality is, which is the packages piling up,” Smith said. “ … Not having in the capacity in the post office and the energy to deliver all those packages, and the direct conversations that I’m having with the people who are working in the Bemidji office, saying they’ve been told to prioritize Amazon packages.
Listen above for the full conversation with Sen. Tina Smith on the KAXE Morning Show.
“ … Either the postmaster general’s office just doesn’t understand what is happening, or they’re trying to hide what is happening.”
In a Friday news release, Smith responded further to this claim, noting her letter never asserted a system-wide policy existed.
"The Postal Service’s own representatives explained to congressional offices in a briefing last week that individual post office managers do have the discretion to prioritize packages over mail," the release stated.
" ... There is ample evidence of post office managers in Minnesota requiring letter carriers to prioritize packages."
The Postal Service response also stated rural carriers are being fairly compensated and he touted the success of hiring new postal workers in the region. He pointed to holiday volume increases and package delivery increases overall as the driver behind any delayed mail.
“It is disappointing to hear that the compensation arrangement is being conflated with comments on package volume from a specific commercial source,” Gordon wrote in the response. “We do not understand the motivation of spreading this kind of misinformation.
“It is our hope that our workforce and policymakers would be encouraging volume from all sources, including commercial customers, to help secure the financial recovery and future of the Postal Service.”
While the letter claims the Postal Service undertook necessary preparations to withstand the influx of holiday mail, a news release Friday from Smith’s office states another letter dated earlier this week contradicts this assertion.
The Minnesota-North Dakota district has fully hired just 24 employees of 112 vacancies for seasonal work.
“And those vacancies do not take into account the numerous positions opening every week when people choose to quit or retire early rather than continue to face these unsustainable circumstances,” the release stated. “In rural areas, the district is currently only staffed at 60%.”
“ … Either the postmaster general’s office just doesn’t understand what is happening, or they’re trying to hide what is happening.”U.S. Sen. Tina Smith
The same day Gordon sent the letter, a roundtable discussion including dozens of Bemidji area residents carried a much different tone. Local mail carriers and their family members described intense, physically demanding work schedules with long hours.
Bemidji postal carriers gathered for a symbolic strike last month to protest long workdays and denied time-off requests after a sudden influx of package deliveries, resulting in long mail delays felt by residents and businesses alike.
Businesses like the Bemidji Pioneer newspaper relayed the impacts of delivery delays on its subscribers and advertisers. And staffers with Sens. Amy Klobuchar’s and Smith’s offices said Gordon’s letter doesn’t reflect the reality of what they’re hearing from constituents every day.
Sara Silvernail, Minnesota state director for Smith’s office, said Gordon’s letter marks the first time Smith heard back after many inquiries on the issue.
“Just this morning, we got a response. So this meeting matters, and you’re being heard,” Silvernail said. “ … It was less than exemplary of the United States Postal Service and the postmaster general’s office. It was highly contradictory to what you all are saying. In fact, calling out Minnesotans as not being truthful and calling out members of Congress as being part of the problem.
“And we know — and the senators both know — that what you’re telling us, and what you’re dealing with, is the truth. And we will stand by that truth.”
“It’s the arrogance displayed by the postmaster general’s conduct in response to your communication that is precisely what needs to come to a screeching halt,” said a man who identified himself as Randall in response.
Another attendee Carla Mandrell mentioned a statement from U.S. Postal Service spokesperson David Partenheimer to The Washington Post, which recently published a story on the issue with Bemidji taking centerstage. Partenheimer told the newspaper the agency was unaware of any significant delivery issues in the city.
“Like any prudent business, we do not publicly discuss specifics of our business relationships,” he told the Post.
“Since when are people who are receiving mail a business? We expect to be able to collect our mail in a timely manner and the fact that he’s calling us a business? That’s complete garbage,” Mandrell said.
Postal workers relayed stories of coworkers quitting because of the stress. One community member, with Eric written on a name badge, said the Postal Service isn’t providing a hospitable environment to attract employees needed to fill open routes and alleviate demand. He said workers kept at part-time status — like his wife — are working well over full-time hours without the benefits of a pension or health care coverage.
“Those people aren’t wanting to go in there, work 12 hours a day, six (to) seven days a week … so when their body can’t do it anymore, they’re thrown in a gutter,” Eric said. “ … That’s what you’re asking every one of those part-time carriers right now to be willing to do — use yourself up to the point where you’re gone. So when you’re done, we can roll you and be rid of you.”
In a phone interview after the Bemidji roundtable, Klobuchar raised concerns about rural route evaluations used to determine carriers’ pay. She said the October timing means the increased package loads right now aren’t reflected in compensation.
Gordon called this and other claims related to carriers’ pay “a disappointing allegation.” He said with the implementation of the Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System earlier this year, rural routes are evaluated continuously. The data from the previous six months will inform the evaluations, meaning high package volume will factor in the next one.
Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Hermantown, sent his own letter to DeJoy last month citing similar concerns, with a Dec. 5 reply deadline. A spokesperson in Stauber’s office confirmed the Congressman received a response as well.
“We are not satisfied with the response we received,” according to an emailed statement.
Smith and Klobuchar say they’ve introduced legislation to require the Postal Service to more closely track unfulfilled mail delivery. Smith said the legislation would ensure the Postal Service gathers better data to inform its decision-making.
“The rural letter carriers will tell you that they have one experience. But then the reporting that happens at the post office is completely different,” she said. “And so, I don't think that they (the Postal Service) have the best information about what's really happening. And if they did, if they understood how many routes are going only partially delivered, then I would hope that they'd be in a better position to fix it.
“You know, I don't run the post office, but my job is to hold them accountable for having the service that Minnesotans should expect.”
Heidi Holtan and Larissa Donovan contributed to this report.
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