Major staffing shortages are causing delays in USPS mail deliveries in multiple states, including Montana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Massachusetts.
ack in Montana, a source inside the Bozeman USPS, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, sent Newsy photos of what they say is mail stacked up in the office. The source said some piles waited five days to go out and on one day alone, five separate routes didn’t leave the building. That’s anywhere from 500 to 1000 addresses per route.
Postal Service emails obtained by Newsy explain the challenge of finding workers because of competition from fast food restaurants and gas stations that pay the same or higher wages.
Another USPS source says postal workers are burning out, working 10 to 12 hour days 6 days a week. They say many new hires don’t last long.
“We’ve been struggling. We had to overburden our employees,” an Ohio USPS worker said.
A source inside the Bozeman post office says they’ve gone from more than 120 employees to less than 50.
USPS representatives tell Newsy Bozeman is a high growth city and they have four jobs available with four more to be posted. But we found this job fair posting from April advertising 60 open positions.
The USPS response if a customer misses delivery one day because of staffing, they will get their mail the next day.