Mail delays getting worse

Through rain, sleet and snow, the mail will be delivered, they tell us. But what about during a perfect storm? That seems to be what the U.S. Postal Service is in now. A combination of the pandemic and more online shopping has mail delivery significantly slowed. Some are paying for two day delivery, but their packages are taking nearly two weeks to arrive. Postal workers are putting in lots of overtime and delivering more packages than ever, but still the USPS isn’t keeping up. There are backlogs all over the country, including La Crosse. One local letter carrier says it comes in waves. Some days the sorting facility in Eagan, Minnesota sends hardly any mail to La Crosse, while other days there is so much carriers are delivering after dark. And now they’re being told if they don’t get enough volunteers to deliver on Sunday, carriers will be delivering on Christmas Day. Part of the problem is a shortage of postal workers, made worse by the pandemic. But the fact that the current Postmaster General tore apart sorting machines didn’t help things move faster. It will be a challenge for the next Postmaster General to improve mail delivery, but if they are going to live up to their motto, significant improvements need to be made.