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Published in the Arlington Heights Journal on December 12, 2024
Off The Record
By Todd Wessell
Grasping a placard with his right hand, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-8th) was in a fighting mood yesterday (Tuesday) morning.
He and about 20 other Democratic and Republican members of the U.S. House Oversight Committee were grilling Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in the nation's capital about the never-ending, frustrating problems of failed mail delivery and management.
In Raja's hand was an enlarged photograph of letter carrier stations inside the Des Plaines Post Office on Oakton Street. Stacked haphazardly in unorganized piles were letters, packages, boxes and even newspapers. It was election week. Raja also held high for everyone in the audience to see, a similar photograph taken inside the Palatine Post Office.
"That's a complete mess and untenable," the congressman blistered at DeJoy.
"This didn't exist before I was here?" responded DeJoy.
Krishnamoorthi then held four copies of "Undelivered Mail Reports" filled out by local letter carriers. One dated Sept. 18, 2023 said, "Instructed to leave mail. 100's of Flats. 27 stacks." The form was dated Sept. 18, 2023.
Another dated Sept. 5, 2024 read, "Instructed to leave mail behind. Denied overtime to clean route." A third report said, "Instructed to leave behind by management..." Another read, "Delivering for America !?!?. Laughable."
"Where's my mail," millions of Americans ask. The flow of complaints has no end. Days, weeks and months go by before people finally receive their mail if at all. Mail is vital for people who rely on delivery to live. Some of the mail are personal correspondences. Others contain important financial information, Social Security checks, and newspapers like the Journal & Topics. Our newspapers which are delivered by the U.S. Postal Service are guaranteed same day delivery. Most newspapers are delivered on time. Too many are late. When asked, carriers blame someone else.
Congressmen from throughout the country slammed DeJoy for the deplorable postal service that he's been unable to fix. He says that he inherited the mess around five years ago.
Raja, however, wasn't deterred as he stepped on the gas.
"Postal service has declined," he charged. "The price of a first class stamp in 2020 was 55 cents. Now it's 73 cents.There have been six increases during your time. Your salary has gone up from $481,000 in your first year to $561,000 in 2024 -- a 17% increase. You're oblivious to public opinion." Responded DeJoy, "What's your alternative?" Said Raja, "You have to live up to the standards you talk about." There's no question that the task of turning around this dysfunctional government institution created by Benjamin Franklin, is daunting. DeJoy's had about four years to accomplish something.
He then said, "When I took over, the postal service was in horrible condition. We established a plan to improve. We've made great gains and cut the cost of performance. I'm proud of what we've accomplished. I give myself a good grade."
The postal service operated a year or two ago at a $6.5 billion deficit. DeJoy said that deficit will decrease to $80 billion within 10 years. There are not enough resources, they say, to investigate crimes of postal threat.
Prior to yesterday's hearing, a local letter carrier told of horrible stories involving offices in Park Ridge, Niles, Chicago, Des Plaines, Palatine, Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect. At one of those post offices, we've been told, the postmaster was escorted out of the building after failing to deliver some of the mail. Eventually, it was delivered. "It was old, but it was delivered," he said.
"There's too much mail and too few people," mentioned a local postal employee. He continued that at the post office where he works, 120 letter carriers should be on the payroll. Instead, 100 work. Some of the carriers are injured or call in sick. Others are on vacation and others simply don't show up. "A mailman works 12 hours a day. It's physically demanding."
Our whistleblower said that in his opinion, part or most of the problem involves the president of the letter carriers union. "Nothing's changed in the last three years. Nothing is done," he remarked.
"The post office has been running in an unstable manner for a long time," claimed Ranking Member U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland. A decline in delivery is all over. We hear it all the time. Its financial standing is astonishingly bad.
DeJoy yesterday got an earful from congressmen who have been getting their own earfuls for years. Did the questioning and complaining spark something positive? Maybe. Most likely not.
When and if a subsequent congressional hearing is held, ordinary citizens should fill the large capital room, pound the tables, and demand reform. They should be allowed to pose questions not only to DeJoy (if he's still in the job) and his staff but also to congressmen.
This is a classic example of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. While DeJoy Tuesday gave himself a grade of A for his job performance, people need to hammer away unceasingly to bring that grade to a more reasonable D- or an F.
The U.S. budget in 2022 stood at $6.7 trillion. Surely, there's enough money to correct the abuse we've all been feeling with our mail delivery. Then do it.
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