U.S. Rep. Jason Smith said he is advocating for the U.S. Post Office to improve services for his constituents in Southeast Missouri.
But it’s unclear exactly how much power Smith, or any single representative, has in improving postal delivery as the USPS continues to slash expenses to reduce its annual shortfall while also enduring employee shortages.
USPS employees, including a union representative, told the Southeast Missourian last week that as many as eight routes in the Cape Girardeau area are not delivered daily because of scarce personnel. The Scott City and Kelso post offices, in particular, are left unmanned when the single post office employees at those locations take time off. Business managers and individuals say mail in the Scott City area can arrive days late. Several local resident have written to the Southeast Missourian expressing frequent occurrences of receiving no mail.