When Does the Post Office Start Delivering Mail Again
Mail commitment slowdown: USPS to slow delivery starting October 1
Mail delivery for many Americans will slow starting on Fri, office of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy'due south blueprint for overhauling the U.South. Postal Service in order to slash costs. But critics say the slower delivery standards could crusade problems such every bit belatedly bill delivery while more than broadly undermining the public's religion in the USPS.
Almost 4 of 10 pieces of first-class mail will run into slower delivery, according to Paul Steidler, senior boyfriend at the Lexington Institute and an expert on the postal service. That "means postal service delivery volition exist slower than in the 1970s," he said, calling DeJoy'southward plan "disastrous."
Starting on October 1, the postal service's current iii-day commitment standard for excellent mail — letters, bills, revenue enhancement documents and the like — volition drop to delivery anywhere within the U.S. within five days. In other words, Americans should at present expect that messages and other post could accept upwards to five days to reach their destinations, and vice versa.
The USPS will go along to take a two-day delivery standard for single-slice splendid mail traveling within a local area, a USPS spokeswoman said, adding that the postal service has improved its delivery standards in 2021.
"The postal service has shown steady improvements for all fantabulous mail, marketing and periodical mail categories over the last seven months," she said in an electronic mail to CBS MoneyWatch. "We take worked tirelessly to overcome challenges from contempo storms and continue to recruit thousands of employees for the upcoming holiday peak flavor."
Just critics like Steidler say people in rural areas, the disabled and the elderly will feel the effects of the new mail delivery standards. "It's the least fortunate who will be hurt hardest by this," he said. "Everything in American lodge is getting faster, it seems, except for the mail delivery — which is now going to go slower."
It'due south possible that people who are paying their bills by post and not prepared for the change could incur belatedly fees, for instance, if their checks don't arrive on time. Others may face longer delivery times for important documents such as tax forms or passports. The change could farther undermine customers' organized religion in the U.S. Postal Service, which took a hitting in 2020 when delivery delays snarled everything from prescription medicationto ballot ballots, experts say.
$160 billion projected loss
The USPS contends that its 10-year plan is necessary to erase a projected $160 billion loss over the next decade. The effort aims to boost acquirement through expanded package commitment and postage hikes, with the latest postage increase having gone into effect in August.
Just the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), the federal regulator that oversees the USPS, before this year questioned if the postal service's plan to slow delivery standards would save coin.
"Reducing service will merely discourage utilize of the U.South. Mail, which is non a formula for long-term financial health and stability," said Christopher W. Shaw, the writer of the forthcoming book "First Form: The U.S. Postal Service, Commonwealth and the Corporate Threat," in an emailed statement.
On Friday, a bipartisan grouping of twoscore lawmakers asked Postmaster DeJoy for more data virtually the consolidation of 18 mail-processing facilities, function of his ten-year plan. In the October 1 alphabetic character, the lawmakers raise concerns about whether closing the facilities would "further degrade postal service service heading into the busy vacation season," likewise as lead to chore losses.
"We believe that at a minimum, these consolidations should be paused until further information about the justification and impact is made public," representatives including Suzan DelBene, a Democrat from Washington, and Mike Simpson, a Republican from Idaho, wrote in the letter of the alphabet.
Slower commitment for Western states
Amid the regions that volition feel the greatest impact are Western states like California and Nevada, likewise equally Florida, according to a Washington Post assay of the USPS delivery changes before this year. Other pockets across the nation will too suffer from slower commitment times, co-ordinate to an analysis from Steve Hutkins, a retired New York Academy professor who runs a blog called Save the Post Function.
Earlier this twelvemonth, a group of 21 country attorneys general asked the PRC to reject the USPS' program to slow deliveries, calling it a "misguided effort" that would harm election postal service and mailings of essential documents such as passports. They besides said the slowdown would have a disproportionate impact on the elderly, rural residents and the disabled.
The USPS on Mon said consumers should await "a day or ii of transit time" added for some first-class mail and magazines "traveling the greatest distances."
"Nosotros'll make ameliorate use of our trucks and existing surface network to move the postal service, relying less on costly air transportation," the agency said in a statement. "By improving service reliability and increasing efficiency, we can keep costs at reasonable levels and help keep postage stamp rates affordable for our customers."
That might aid the USPS' lesser line, but consumers should be aware that their mail could take longer to accomplish their destinations — and that the modify is permanent, unless Congress gets involved or attorneys general sue the USPS, experts said.
"When you reduce standards you perpetuate a vicious downwardly cycle," Steidler said. "You tell people you can have your time delivering it. Information technology causes people to lose confidence in the mail."
Thank you for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free business relationship or log in
for more features.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mail-delivery-slower-usps-october-1/
0 Response to "When Does the Post Office Start Delivering Mail Again"
Post a Comment