Problems Identified in Post Offices in Minnesota

DULUTH, Minn – You count on your mail being delivered promptly, and that is the goal of the Postal Service.

However, in audits conducted by the Inspector General of the Postal Service, prompt delivery has not been happening.

We talked with Senator Tina Smith who has been working to understand the problems with the mail system. Recently, the issues facing the postal service were uncovered in Audits. In the past seven months, audits have been completed by the United States Postal Service of its facilities in Bemidji and the St. Paul area. Those audits have shown that both of these offices have serious problems in delivering mail on time. Senator Tina Smith believes this type of situation exists throughout Minnesota and beyond.

“I don’t think this is confined to just a Minnesota problem,” Senator Tina Smith said. “The challenge we have is that upper management is not giving local post offices the tools they need, the training, and the data they need to meet their service goals.”

Problems identified in the audits included not having enough mail carriers.  In Bemidji for example, there were 25% fewer mail carriers than what was budgeted for at that office.

Smith says she will be keeping an eye on the changes recommended in the audits to ensure that the changes are made.