Mail delivered late? Madison USPS mail carrier says there’s a severe staffing shortage

July 12, 2019 12:41 AM

Jamie Perez,

Posted: July 12, 2019 12:41 AM

Updated: August 31, 2021 12:23 PM

by Jamie Perez

Mail delivered late? Madison USPS mail carrier says there’s a severe staffing shortage

MADISON, Wis. — Most people expect their mail to be delivered by midafternoon.

Madison resident Linda Kriesel said she’s seen her mail delivered hours late.

“It’s bad,” Kriesel said.

Kriesel is not alone. A U.S Postal Service mail carrier, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said there’s a major staffing shortage in Madison. They said it’s been this way for quite some time.

“There’s a lack of subs, and the subs that we do have are putting in 60 to 80 hours a week,” they said. “Regulars are having to work their off days, not getting any vacation time. If we have appointments on our off days, we have to bring in doctors excuses on our scheduled off days. They’re saying they have to work 13 out of 14 days.”

Kriesel said she’s feeling the impact of the shortage as well.

“You can sure tell because sometimes we don’t get our mail until 5, 6 o’ clock in the afternoon,” she said.

The mail carrier said they have been delivering mail in the Madison area for years and things have gotten progressively worse.

“People burn out, and it’s hard on marriages, it’s hard on relationships because we work all these hours,” they said.

In a statement, USPS said:

“The U.S. Postal Service is a responsible employer that prudently matches our workforce to an evolving workload and adjusts staffing continuously, including workhours. The Postal Service takes great pride in safely delivering mail to every address in America. Each day a Post Office faces operational variables such as weather, scheduled vacations, unscheduled absences, high volumes, or a new employee on a route, all which may affect delivery times. We gladly work to address any specific service issue from the community when brought to our attention.

“Regarding hiring for needed vacancies, the Madison, WI, Post Office recently had a successful job fair where applicants are currently being trained and placed into jobs. Another job fair is scheduled for around the Labor Day holiday as an additional means to fill needed vacancies.”

But the mail carrier told us that they’re not alone in feeling there hasn’t been much removed from their bags just yet.

“There’s a lot of people that feel the same way, but it’s because we love our job, we love being out delivering the mail to the people who are our customers,” they said.

Kriesel said she hopes the problem is addressed soon, too, so she can get her mail at a time she expects.

“It’s very annoying. It’s like, what are we going to do about it? Nothing. And you can’t blame our mailman because he’s the best we’ve ever had,” she said.

With the hopeful new hires filling in the gaps, people like Kriesel and mail carriers can get the speedy delivery they all hope for.

There are still several job postings listed on the Madison USPS website. If you would like to help with the shortage and apply, you can do so here.

Notice your mail coming a bit later than usual? A USPS mail carrier said there’s a major staffing shortage and the people picking up the slack are working 70 hour weeks and denied any time off. #News3Now pic.twitter.com/uqrwT0vl1e

— Jamie Perez (@JamiePerezTV) July 11, 2019

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