Slower mail, fewer office hours part of Postal Service plans
United States Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy speaks during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on "Legislative Proposals to Put the Postal Service on Sustainable Financial Footing" on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, in Washington. United States Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is left. Postal Service over persistent delivery delays under DeJoy, a major GOP donor who took over the agency last summer. He announced the plans at a webinar with other postal service officials. And those concerns remain.โDeJoy, a former supply-chain CEO who took over the Postal Service last June, has been mired in controversy since taking over the agency.
Biden nominates 3 to postal board as delays persist
United States Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy looks on during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on "Legislative Proposals to Put the Postal Service on Sustainable Financial Footing" on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, in Washington. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP)President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated three postal experts to the governing board of the U.S. Postal Service, a move that could alter the course of an agency grappling with delivery delays and rumored cuts under its embattled Republican leader. A spokesman for the Postal Service said it "will welcome all qualified members to the Board of Governors." AdDeJoy and the board are finalizing a 10-year plan to revitalize the Postal Service, an independent agency with roots to the 18th century.
USPS preparing for winter storm as mail carriers juggle holiday deliveries
I need to either come in at the moment they open or just wait,โ said Susan Shullman, a customer. USPS Appalachian District Communications Programs Specialist Tad Kelley said at this time, they are seeing about a 10 to 15 percent increase in mail volume compared to last year. โYou have the regular holiday volumes, you have the impacts from the pandemic and now you have the potential for a storm.โTo beat the storm, postal workers started delivering mail early Tuesday and will make extra deliveries this evening. Tuesday was the last day to send packages through ground shipping to assure it will arrive by Christmas Day. The next USPS shipping deadline is Dec. 18 for first-class mail to arrive in time for Christmas.
USPS shares holiday packaging, shipping tips
ROANOKE, Va. โ To help you get your holiday gift to your loved one on time this year, the United States Postal Service has some tips for you to keep in mind. The USPS says the first rule of thumb this holiday season is to send your packages early. We donโt want anything to hold up that box in transit,โ USPS Appalachian District spokesperson Tad Kelley said. If a worker hears ticking, vibrations or other noises during transportation, the package may be delayed out of security concerns. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USPS urges customers to take advantage of the online services this year.
Will your mail-in ballot arrive on time? 10 News puts the US Postal Service to the test
The goal was to simulate the mail-in election process to track the timeliness of arrivals. (WSLS 10)Participants in Alleghany County, Bedford County, Roanoke County, Roanoke city, Montgomery County and Lexington put the letters in drop boxes addressed to themselves and tracked how long it took to get back to them. The five-day deliveries happened in Roanoke County and the city of Roanoke. In Virginia, mail-in ballots will be counted as long as theyโre postmarked by Election Day and arrive by noon that Friday. If you want to applyClick here if youโd like to apply for a mail-in ballot.
Post office defends on claims that cuts threaten election
FILE - In this May 6, 2020, photo, United States Postal Service carrier Henrietta Dixon gets into her truck to deliver mail in Philadelphia. Postal Service that they say threaten the upcoming presidential election(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)PHILADELPHIA โ Lawyers for the U.S. Postal Service argued in court Thursday against accusations that service cuts are slowing down the mail and threatening the integrity of the presidential election. Lawyers for the Postal Service say headquarters never ordered a slowdown or overtime ban. They said the cuts also threaten the integrity of the upcoming election, given the expected widespread use of mail-in ballots across the country.
States ask judge to reverse changes at US Postal Service
FILE - In this April 2, 2020 file photo, a United States Postal Service worker makes a delivery with gloves and a mask in Warren, Mich. A group of states suing over service cuts at the U.S. Postal Service is asking a federal judge to immediately undo some of them, saying the integrity of the upcoming election is at stake. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya,File)SEATTLE โ A group of states suing over service cuts at the U.S. Postal Service is asking a federal judge to immediately undo some of them, saying the integrity of the upcoming election is at stake. Michigan spent $2 million earlier this year on envelopes that met election mail standards โ only to learn that the Postal Service wouldn't treat them as First Class mail.
Worried about whether your vote will count? Hereโs how to submit a ballot without using the mail
Restrictions and types of early voting vary by state, but 40 states and the District of Columbia do offer some form of early voting. Turning in ballots at a local election office or polling locationJust about every state allows voters to bring ballots in person to turn them in at local election offices. If youโre not close to a local election office to turn in a ballot, some states allow ballots to be turned in to alternate locations or the polling locations. New Hampshire and Vermont allow voters to return ballots to a polling place. Drop boxesThese are special containers that allow voters to drop off absentee or mail-in ballots in sealed envelopes.
Pelosi to call House back into session to vote on USPS bill
WASHINGTON Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she is calling the House back into session over the crisis at the U.S. In a time of a pandemic, the Postal Service is Election Central," Pelosi wrote Sunday in a letter to colleagues, who had been expected to be out of session until September. The House Oversight and Reform Committee said it wants to hear from DeJoy and from the chair of the Postal Service board of governors, Robert Mike Duncan. With heightened scrutiny of its operations, the Postal Service is now requesting a temporary preelection rate increase, from mid-October through Christmas, although not for first-class letters. "Given the recent customer concerns the Postal Service will postpone removing boxes for a period of 90 days while we evaluate our customers concerns,'' Postal Service spokeswoman Kimberly Frum said.
Post Office warns states across US about mail voting
Voters and lawmakers in several states are also complaining that some curbside mail collection boxes are being removed. Postal Service is sufficiently prepared to fulfill.Meanwhile, the removal of Postal Service collection mail boxes triggered concerns and anger in Oregon and Montana. All three members of Montanas congressional delegation two of whom are Republican raised concerns about the removal of mail boxes in letters sent to Postmaster DeJoy. Postal Service spokesperson Ernie Swanson said the Oregon removals were due to declining mail volume and that duplicate mail boxes were taken from places that had more than one. The Postal Service said four mail boxes were removed in Portland this week.
On this 50th anniversary for the USPS, mail a letter to a friend
Fifty years ago, the former Post Office Department changed over and became the United States Postal Service. Postal Service, as we know it now, has only been around since 1970? Energized by the Civil Rights Movement, postal workers in New York went on strike, and the movement eventually swelled across the country. Previously, letters were taken to a Post Office, where employees would note the postage due (or paid) in the upper right corner. Postal Service stands financially, perhaps we do have to consider, what if the mail goes away someday?