Postal Service to 'promptly address' delivery delays", "DeJoy agrees to testify amid Dem fury over Postal Service changes", "Postal Service will prioritize ballots over other mail, postmaster general testifies", "WATCH: Postmaster General DeJoy Testifies on U.S. Election Commission Regains Quorum and Resumes Full Duties, Facing a Massive Backlog of Work. He's never seen it like this. [32] Arizona secretary of state Katie Hobbs said, "In Arizona, it's against the law to 'delay the delivery of a ballot.' What would become known as the Great Postal Strike—an illegal wildcat strike that threatened the jobs, pensions and even freedom of scores of America’s mail carriers—had just begun. By Rick Moran Sep 22, 2020 9:07 AM ET . [60] Longtime Republican elections lawyer and former Federal Election Commission chairman Trevor Potter stated that under such a scenario, Trump could build up a lead among ballots cast on Election Day, claim victory, and then say, "stop counting ballots because all those absentee ballots are illegitimate. [16] The changes were described in a memo DeJoy released on August 7, 2020. … Royal Mail is facing its first national postal strike in a decade after staff voted overwhelmingly for action. The "Blue Shift" in California Elections", "Postal Service chief denies slowing down election mail to assist Trump", "Trump met with Postmaster General amid mail-in voting attacks", "Postmaster general agrees to testify before Senate, House lawmakers amid mail-in voting firestorm", "The Post Office's Great Mail Slowdown Is Hurting Small Businesses", "Mail delays hurting local small business owners", "Baltimore-area plagued by slow, missing mail", "As USPS delays hit veterans' mail-order prescriptions, VA works to mitigate medication waits", "Lawmakers: Postal changes delay mail-order medicine for vets", "Chicks shipped by mail are arriving dead, costing Maine farmers thousands of dollars", "Chicks, cockroaches, crickets and frogs: How mail delays are affecting the live animal trade", Postal Service workers quietly resist DeJoy's changes with eye on election, "Don't reconnect mailing machines, Postal Service tells plants. [15] DeJoy also reorganized USPS leadership and staffing. ... Postmaster General Louis DeJoy today announced a modified organizational structure for the U.S. "[20], Mail collection boxes were removed from the streets in many cities. WASHINGTON — The United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) today of price changes to take effect Jan. 26, 2020. [36], On November 4, 2020, federal judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered DeJoy to ″sweep″ USPS facilities for undelivered mail-in ballots, and to immediately deliver any they find. All rights reserved. "[24] He said he would reinstate overtime hours, roll back service reductions, and halt the removal of mail sorting machines and collection boxes. Election Commission Regains Quorum and Resumes Full Duties, Facing a Massive Backlog of Work. [86] He committed to senators at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that voters should be "extremely highly confident" that even mail-in ballots sent close to Election Day would be delivered on time,[87] and promised that the USPS would respect its "sacred duty" to deliver election mail in the fall of 2020. "[75], The crisis precipitated protests against the changes made by DeJoy, with protesters calling for the postmaster general's resignation. [8] This law, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, was passed during a lame-duck session, and shepherded through the Senate by Senator Susan Collins of Maine. The “extraordinary measures” USPS implemented to ensure on-time ballot delivery, meanwhile, were set to expire Nov. 24. However, the Postal Service has been removing mail collection boxes as a cost-cutting measure for years — between 1985 and 2011, the number of mail collection boxes was reduced by 60% — so it remains unclear if the removals are connected to DeJoy's changes. The company is trying to reverse a 9.8% slide this year. "[82], Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell bring the Senate back into session also, to consider ways to "undo the extensive damage Mr. DeJoy has done at the Postal Service," but there was no indication McConnell would do so. UPS rose less than 1% to $107.52 at the close in New York. [45], Because of the operational changes causing delays in mail delivery, the Postal Service sent a letter to 46 U.S. states in July 2020, warning each state that the service might not be able to meet that state's deadlines for requesting and casting absentee ballots. [29][30], Several state attorneys general are also beginning investigations to determine if DeJoy violated state election laws[31] and are coordinating their efforts. [53] Former U.S. president Barack Obama accused Trump of deliberately "kneecapping" the Postal Service in order to discourage people from voting. The settlement requires the Postal Service … 17 April 2020 Thousands of mail carriers, sorters, and clerks who work for the United States Postal Service (USPS) are at risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 due to the dangerous … The proposed prices, approved by the Governors of the Postal … [73], Some postal workers, aiming to prevent adverse effects on the election and on customer service, resisted the changes ordered by DeJoy. The crisis stems primarily from changes implemented Postmaster General Louis DeJoy shortly after taking office in June 2020. While DeJoy said USPS would quickly be able to recover from the setback and resume meeting its on-time delivery goals, the Postal Service never fully recovered from its performance dip. Is that true? [27], Federal law prohibits any employee of the Postal Service from delaying mail. [74], Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, criticized the DeJoy orders. Other health essentials such as oxygen tubes are also reportedly being delayed for weeks. [10] The agency's struggles were compounded by the financial crisis of 2007–2008 and subsequent recession, which caused overall mail volume to fall by one-third, and again by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects. [42] The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 was anticipated to cause a large increase in mail voting because of the possible danger of congregating at polling places. 08/13/2020 06:34 PM EDT ... after President Nixon’s tough-love treatment of postal workers led to a wildcat strike among letter carriers, public opinion quickly swayed in against the … © 2021 by Government Media Executive Group LLC. [52] Trump later defended the changes being made by DeJoy, saying that DeJoy wanted to "make the Post Office great again", a reference to Trump's own political slogan, "Make America Great Again". With the election behind it, the U.S. [12], Upon taking office DeJoy immediately began taking measures to reduce costs, such as banning the use of overtime and extra trips to deliver mail. [1][2][3] The delays have had substantial legal, political, economic, and health repercussions. The department was renamed the U.S. Tweet . US Postal Service employees weren't involved in the dumping … “While we do not intend to comment about the appeals we are pursuing, it remains our view that none of the election mail lawsuits are justified by the facts or supported by the applicable law,” Marshall said. The National Association of Letter Carriers filed a national grievance over the program, saying management should have negotiated over its implementation. [33] The state lawsuits were filed in spite of DeJoy's announcement that he would be suspending the changes. [62] After reports emerged on August 14 of the August 3 meeting, White House spokesman Judd Deere described it as "congratulatory",[62] and Trump on August 17 denied having instructed DeJoy to slow mail delivery, saying he "wouldn't do that. USPS General Counsel Thomas Marshall declined to elaborate on the Postal Service’s plans, instead simply suggesting the original injunctions were erroneously awarded. [68] A letter to DeJoy from 31 U.S. senators asked him to reassess the effect of his changes on veterans. "[81] Pelosi said that "Lives, livelihoods and the life of our American democracy are under threat from the president. Effective March 23, 2020, due to airline travel restrictions and cancellations, the U.S. [89], On August 22, 2020, the House passed a bill approving $25 billion in emergency funding for the USPS that would reverse DeJoy's changes and ban mail delays before the election. [64] The problems are especially severe for small businesses. The White House threatened a veto. Postal Service, forthcoming in May 2020 from UNC Press.. For eight days in March 1970, over 200,000 postal workers staged an illegal “wildcat” strike… DeJoy cautioned before the election—and has reiterated since—he only intended a pause on some reform efforts he issued prior to the court orders to be temporary, with more dramatic changes still slated for 2021 and beyond. Despite an increase in revenue of $2billion relative to FY2019, the Postal … Government Executive uses cookies for analytics and personalization. 7 April 2020 Like workers at the retail giant Amazon and across the logistics industry, drivers and warehouse workers for United Parcel Services (UPS) report dangerous workplace … Postal Strike: Moving the Mails ... July 31, 2020. [25] However, 95 percent of the mail sorting machines that were planned for removal had already been removed,[26] and in testimony to the Senate, DeJoy expressed that he had no intention of replacing them. [61], Trump met with DeJoy at the White House on August 3, but when initially asked on August 9, Trump denied that he had spoken to DeJoy. [81] Some Republican senators have also called for reversing the changes, pointing out the importance of the Postal Service to rural residents; they include both senators from Montana and Senator Susan Collins of Maine. Here's what we know", "Here's why the Postal Service wanted to remove hundreds of mail-sorting machines", "Postal Service will stop removing mailboxes", "First in expected flood of lawsuits against USPS, Trump filed in NY federal court", "Pelosi keeps up post office pressure: 'I don't, frankly, trust the postmaster general, "DeJoy's USPS Policy Rollbacks Don't Appear to Change Much", "6 takeaways from the postmaster general's Senate hearing", "18 U.S. Code § 1703 - Delay or destruction of mail or newspapers", "Exclusive: Postal service inspector general reviewing DeJoy's policy changes and potential ethics conflicts", "Amid political controversy, postmaster general's stock holdings come under renewed scrutiny", "Democrats Investigate Whether Trump, DeJoy Violated Laws With USPS Actions", "Several states considering legal action against Trump administration over USPS and mail-in voting", "At least 20 states plan to sue the U.S. Updated 12:20 PM ET, Tue September 8, 2020 . [19] It was later explained that such machines are taken offline every year in response to diminishing volumes of letter mail, and that 671 of the machines (about 10 percent of the total) in 49 states had been slated for removal this year, 618 of them by August 1. [8], Businessman and Trump campaign megadonor[11] Louis DeJoy was sworn in as postmaster general on June 15, 2020; he is the first person since 1992 to assume the position without any prior experience in the United States Postal Service. "[35], U.S. representative Bill Pascrell requested the New Jersey attorney general to empanel a grand jury to investigate whether any state election laws were violated; the AG declined comment. [58] Public polling indicates that more Democrats plan to vote by mail in the elections than Republicans, possibly due to Trump's false claims of vote by mail being riddled with fraud. Today we welcome a guest post from Philip F. Rubio, author of Undelivered: From the Great Postal Strike of 1970 to the Manufactured Crisis of the U.S. The figure for the corresponding period in 2019 was $3.4 million. [93], In December 2020, a combination of the cost-cutting measures instituted by Postmaster General Louis Dejoy and increased holiday season shipping volume resulted in widespread package shipping delays and "buckling" of the Postal system. Chicago Postal Workers Threaten Strike After Several Mail Carriers Shot. Replay. [58][59] In addition, there is a recurring phenomenon in U.S. elections called the "blue shift", whereby in-person votes tallied on election night favor Republicans, then later-tallied ballots (including mailed ballots) shift the final result toward the Democrats. [96] In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, a postal clerk in Linthicum, Maryland, summed up the situation as a “logistical nightmare," and added that USPS should have known based on the events of the preceding year there would be a holiday shipping crisis, but despite this failed to warn customers. [94] USPS facilities became overwhelmed with packages: A supervisor at an Indianapolis distribution center reported that for the sake of expediency, workers were "just throwing [packages] in the trucks without scanning them" into the system;[95] in Allentown, Pennsylvania, mail pieces sat in the parking lot because there was no room to unload them, and a clerk in Philadelphia told the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Don’t be using the post office right now, because we can’t deliver the mail". [54], Contrary to Trump's stated belief that vote by mail harms Republicans,[55] there is no evidence that it benefits one party or the other, and both parties have incorporated it into their get-out-the-vote strategies for years. Clark has been a mail carrier with the U.S. The sold-out dinner … A huge backlog of almost 50 million letters was being cleared today after postal workers accepted a deal to end a dispute which sparked wildcat strikes across the country. The cash-strapped agency may soon receive some financial relief, as a bipartisan COVID-19 relief package currently being discussed on Capitol Hill would convert a $10 billion line of credit for USPS to a cash grant. This year could be more complicated, Pentagon office says", "Vote by mail: Which states allow absentee voting", "Coronavirus makes voting by mail even more important", "A Record 76% of Americans Can Vote by Mail in 2020", "USPS warns 46 states it cannot guarantee mail-in ballots will arrive in time for election", "2020 General Election Early Vote Statistics", "Most mail and provisional ballots got counted in past U.S. elections – but many did not", "Fact check: Trump lies about voter fraud while states, CDC encourage voting-by-mail as pandemic-friendly option", "As Trump Rails Against Voting by Mail, States Open the Door for It", "After criticizing voting by mail, Trump, first lady request mail-in ballots", "Trump defends Postmaster General Louis DeJoy amid protests", "Obama: Trump is trying to 'actively kneecap' and 'starve' the postal service", "Trump says mail voting means Republicans would lose every election. [89][87] He said he was unable to do so. While the judges’ orders primarily focused on postal operations prior to and in the immediate aftermath of the election, they have yet to lift their injunctions. We just have to look at the deeds and the deeds thus far is the new Postmaster General has instituted a number of policies that are truly slowing down mail. Postal Service has temporarily suspended the guarantee on Priority Mail Express International destined to China, France, … The dispute between workers and the firm is over job security and terms … Postal Service for 15 years. [65], Individuals are also reporting serious economic problems due to delayed or missing mail: not receiving checks or important papers that they are expecting, or having their bill payments arrive at the company late so that they get charged a penalty. | WATCH LIVE - YouTube", "Pelosi, Democrats Considering Bringing House Back From Recess Early To Address Mail Crisis", "Pelosi calls House lawmakers back to vote on post office legislation", "Pelosi to Recall House for Postal Service Vote as Democrats Press for DeJoy to Testify", "Montana Republican senators join call: 'Delaying mail service is unacceptable, "GOP Sen. Susan Collins urges U.S. Postal workers were tired of barely seeing a living … [85], Despite DeJoy's announcement that he would be suspending the operational changes until after the election, Pelosi stated that she did not trust DeJoy, and called the suspension "a necessary but insufficient step in ending the president’s election sabotage campaign. 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