PA postal union concerned new changes will slow, delay holiday mail

Danielle Smith for Keystone State News Connection

Pennsylvanians mailing holiday cards and gifts may face delays due to proposed postal changes.

The Postal Service costs-cutting plans include ending evening pickups in remote areas, holding mail overnight, and reducing transport frequency.

Kimberly Miller – president of the Keystone Area Local #1566 of the American Postal Workers Union – said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10 year “Delivering for America” plan seeks to break even and stabilize USPS finances, but does so by changing delivery standards, which is causing widespread delays and slow mail.

“Basically, what he’s doing to achieve his goals is moving the goalpost further away so that he can meet it,” said Miller, “and truly where it’s going to affect people is in rural America, and that’s our concern, because we have always delivered to every mailbox every day.”

Miller pointed out that DeJoy replaced first-class parcels with “ground advantage” parcels, consolidating all mail onto trucks without prioritizing express or priority packages.

This shift has disrupted delivery reliability, leaving the service less dependable than before.

Miller emphasized the importance of Pennsylvanians collaborating with lawmakers to ensure timely mail delivery, as it has been the standard for more than 200 years.

She asserted that public service is about picking up and delivering mail, while DeJoy’s focus is on profitability.

“Now President-elect Donald Trump, he wants to look at privatizing the post office for profit, and because he doesn’t feel the government should subsidize them,” said Miller, “Well, that’s very naive, because we’re not subsidized by the government. We operate totally on the services that we offer to the American people – sales of stamps, selling packages.”

Miller said the postal service’s holiday hiring isn’t enough to fix the worker shortage. Long lines are a big problem, especially in rural places in Pennsylvania such as Lebanon, Carlisle and Mechanicsburg.

She said she blames this on post office closures and not enough positions.

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Source: bctv