With the holiday season just around the corner, the U.S. Postal Service is looking to hire about 28,000 seasonal workers and is installing 137 new package sorting machines in an effort to avoid shipping delays.
But postal worker representatives say Americans could see after-dark or even nighttime deliveries over the holidays, as employees navigate tons of envelopes and boxes. A new congressional review is also warning of USPS staffing issues and backups.
For some business owners who have felt the impacts of inflation, this holiday season could be essential in keeping their businesses afloat.
“If I don’t have timely delivery, it impacts my business because my staff is working harder, my staff is working longer hours, and then myself as well,” Bo Anuluoha, co-owner of the Los Angeles boutique Kutula By Africana, told CBS News.
But even with a surge in holiday hiring, USPS is finding it hard to fill open positions. Recruitment efforts in California, New England and the Midwest remain sluggish.
“Postmasters that are short-staffed in many areas of the country are personally delivering mail on some routes,” Edmund Carley, president of the United Postmaster and Managers of America, told a congressional panel last month. “In some regions, advertised vacancies get no applicants.”