BRONX, NY – Earlier this month, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) sent a letter to Adela Livingston, Bronx Executive Postmaster, raising serious concerns about delayed mail delivery, chronic understaffing, and operational practices within the New York District of the United States Postal Service that are affecting service reliability for Bronx residents and New Yorkers citywide.
The letter follows a meeting between Rep. Torres’s office and Joseph Martir, President of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) New York Metro Area Local, who described an apparent “hard stop” policy in place at approximately 8:00 a.m., under which postal clerks are reportedly required to stop mail distribution regardless of whether first-class mail, prescription medications, flats, or parcels remain unprocessed. According to Mr. Martir, mail left unprocessed before the hard stop is routinely held over until the following day, raising concerns for time-sensitive materials such as prescription medications, rent payments, legal notices, financial documents, and election-related mail.
Rep. Torres’s office has also fielded numerous constituent complaints involving delayed or missing mail, excessive wait times at local post offices, long lines caused by insufficient retail staffing, temporary closures or reduced hours at postal stations, and limited customer service availability across Bronx facilities. Rep. Torres noted that staffing reductions and “right-sizing” measures appear to be occurring even as USPS acknowledges existing staffing shortages, and he raised concerns about the disproportionate impact of these service failures on working-class communities, seniors, and residents who depend on the Postal Service for access to medicine, financial services, government correspondence, and vote-by-mail participation.
The letter requests a written response from USPS addressing whether a hard stop policy currently exists in the New York District, the rationale behind it, safeguards for time-sensitive mail, current staffing levels compared to authorized levels, the number of positions eliminated in Bronx and Manhattan operations over the past three years, USPS plans to address chronic understaffing and service disruptions, and how the agency is evaluating the impact of automation and operational restructuring on service quality and workforce capacity.
The full letter reads:
“I write to express serious concern regarding reports of delayed mail delivery, chronic understaffing, and operational practices within the New York District of the United States Postal Service that appear to be negatively affecting service reliability for my constituents in the Bronx and throughout New York City.
“My office recently met with Joseph Martir, President of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) New York Metro Area Local, who outlined a series of troubling allegations concerning current postal operations. Among the most concerning is the existence of an apparent “hard stop” policy at approximately 8:00 a.m., under which postal clerks are allegedly required to cease mail distribution operations regardless of whether first-class mail, prescription medications, flats, or parcels remain unprocessed.
“According to Mr. Martir, mail that arrives for distribution but is not processed before the hard stop is routinely left behind until the following day. If accurate, this practice raises serious concerns about service delays affecting time-sensitive materials, including prescription medications, rent payments, legal notices, financial documents, and election-related mail.
“My office has also received numerous constituent complaints concerning:
– Delayed or missing mail delivery;
– Excessive wait times at local post offices;
– Long lines caused by insufficient staffing at retail windows;
– Temporary closures or reduced hours at postal stations;
– Limited customer service availability in Bronx facilities.
“These concerns appear consistent with the operational issues described during our meeting.
“In addition, I am troubled by reports that staffing reductions and “right-sizing” measures are occurring simultaneously with acknowledged staffing shortages. Specifically, allegations that auxiliary and relief staffing pools are being reduced while stations remain understaffed raise questions about whether sufficient personnel resources are being allocated to meet the Postal Service’s public-service obligations.
“I am particularly concerned about the disproportionate impact these issues may have on working-class communities, seniors, and residents who rely heavily on the Postal Service for access to medicine, financial services, government correspondence, and vote-by-mail participation.
“Accordingly, I respectfully request responses to the following questions:
– Does the New York District currently employ any operational “hard stop” policy or directive that requires clerks to cease distribution activities at a specified time regardless of remaining mail volume?
– If such a policy exists, what is the rationale for the policy, and how does USPS assess its impact on delivery delays?
– What safeguards are in place to ensure that prescription medications and other time-sensitive mail are not delayed?
– What is the current staffing level for Bronx retail stations and mail-processing operations compared to authorized staffing levels?
– How many positions have been abolished, reverted, or otherwise reduced within the Bronx and Manhattan operations over the past three years?
– What plans, if any, does USPS have to address chronic understaffing, prolonged customer wait times, and service disruptions in Bronx postal facilities?
– How is USPS evaluating the impact of automation and operational restructuring on service quality and workforce capacity?
“The United States Postal Service remains one of the most important public institutions in American life. For many Bronx residents — especially seniors, working families, and low-income households — reliable postal service is not a luxury but a necessity.
“I appreciate your prompt attention to these concerns and request a written response at your earliest convenience.”
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It’s hard to fathom how Steiner and Tulino thought they could get away with these kind of policies, but now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. Service is a joke nationwide, and what’s being described are not aberrations, they are in fact policy. Steiner, of course, acts like he knows nothing and scores are up in his world. Steiner is probably upset that he’s taking the heat for all of this incompetence because the man behind the curtain pulling the levers is actually deputy PMG Tulino. Tulino knows more about the USPS and was supposed to be looking into these areas plagued by poor service and fixing them months ago. What a bang up job he did,too. Nobody heard anything about any results and now every area in the country is suffering while David and Doug enjoy bonuses. Doug is also spearheading so called negotiations with the NALC, which will go nowhere by design. His buddy Renfroe is the poster boy for the old saying “if you lay down with dogs, sometimes you get fleas.” The American people, the people at the USPS that do come to work every day and have to put up with the kind of incompetent management that’s rampant from the top down, deserve so much better than this. If this goes on much longer, it will be impossible to salvage.