Cartwright calls for new leadership at USPS as mail delays persist in NEPA

WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright on Thursday said there is a need for leadership at the U.S. Postal Service that will think about the seniors counting on the service to deliver medication, the business owners who use it to ship out their products, and the workers who rely on it to get their paychecks and pay bills on time.

Cartwright, D-Moosic, said that he issued the call for new leadership at the USPS after receiving thousands of complaints from constituents this week about their mail service.

During a virtual press conference, Cartwright said that more than 6,500 Northeastern Pennsylvanians logged complaints with his office within the past 72 hours regarding delayed mail, intermittent service, lost packages and misdelivered mail.

In response, Cartwright is asking President Joe Biden to quickly fill the three vacancies on the USPS Board of Governors who will hold the Postmaster General accountable for improving delivery standards.

“I am calling on President Biden to nominate qualified leaders to fill the three vacancies on the USPS Board of Governors — leaders who will take seriously their responsibility to ensure the Postal Service delivers for Americans,” Cartwright said.

He added that the president should consider firing any board members who are deemed as not sharing the goal of rebuilding a functional and efficient Postal Service.

Cartwright also recognized the postal workers whose commitment to their mission has never wavered during the pandemic.

“So many of us know our neighborhood mailman or mailwoman by name, and we see how hard they work – how seriously they take their jobs,” Cartwright said. “They worked to deliver for us in the midst of these recent snowstorms, and of course, the pandemic over the past year. I want to thank them for their dedication. I’m fighting not only because the American people deserve better from the USPS, but you do too.”

Cartwright said 94% of respondents who reported issues with USPS to his office said they have experienced delays in their mail delivery; 41% of respondents reported not receiving mail they had expected; and 41% of them also said they recently have been receiving mail intermittently or sporadically.

Cartwright said a recurring issue from respondents who self-reported as small business owners, wrote that faltering delivery standards have led to delayed incoming and outgoing payments, as well as lost revenue due to product shipments getting lost in transit.