Palmetto, Ga. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is launching an inquiry into employee deaths at Georgia’s Palmetto postal facility.
Today, Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry with U.S. Postal Service Postmaster General David Steiner into employee deaths at the Atlanta Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Palmetto, where four employees have diedThis is an external link since it opened in 2024.
According to local reporting and employee accounts, postal workers have continually reported difficulty making calls inside of the facility in the event of emergency situations, poor working conditions, and management struggles.
Additionally, an audit by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG)This is an external link last year detailed “insufficient supervision and a poor employee work culture” at the Palmetto facility.
“When I inspected the facility in May 2024, staff reported similar issues, including lack of cell phone service inside the facility, and I’m concerned that these same complaints persist,” Sen. Ossoff wrote to Postmaster General Steiner.“Postal workers are working hard to deliver the mail and deserve safe working conditions and proper management.”
One USPS employee at the Palmetto facility told local mediaThis is an external link that “We haven’t had any phone service since we came to that building,” and that “Someone’s house had burned down to the ground and they didn’t even know it until we went on break. Another employee’s child was in a very bad car accident and wasn’t able to be reached.”
As part of his inquiry, Sen. Ossoff requested more information about how USPS will address workers’ concerns, what progress USPS has made implementing recommendations from the OIG report, and a comparison of workplace safety standards with other regional processing and distribution standards.
Sen. Ossoff continues working to hold the Postal Service accountable to deliver for Georgia families.
Last May, following the resignation of former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, Sen. Ossoff urged the USPS Board of Governors to replace him with leadership who can solve the continued delays with on-time mail delivery across Georgia.
Last January, after receiving reports from Georgia veterans that the U.S. Postal Service is failing to deliver prescriptions and appointment notices on time, hurting their access to benefits and care, Sen. Ossoff demanded that USPS swiftly delivers prescriptions, medications, and VA appointment notices to Georgia veterans.
In 2024, Sen. Ossoff questioned Postmaster General DeJoy under oath during a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing about Georgia mail delays.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s inquiry.
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