Postal workers were tired of barely seeing a living … ... 2020 at 11:00 a.m. UTC. [9] According to Tom Davis (the bill's sponsor), the Bush administration threatened to veto the legislation unless they added the provision regarding funding the employee benefits in advance with the objective of using that money to reduce the federal deficit. With the election behind it, the U.S. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Election Commission Regains Quorum and Resumes Full Duties, Facing a Massive Backlog of Work. [97] A postal worker who anonymously spoke to the Washington Post summed it up, "“As bad as you think it is, it’s worse.” [98] Late in December, USPS acknowledged the delays on its website citing COVID-19 issues and a labor shortage and encouraging early mailing of packages, but for many with packages already trapped at distribution centers across the country it was expected to be too late to make a difference. [5][6], On August 18, 2020, under heavy political and legal pressure, DeJoy announced that he would be "suspending" the policy changes until after the November 2020 election. All rights reserved. Various judges blocked DeJoy’s initiative to cut back on late and early mail transportation trips, which he said were costly and unnecessary, as well as efforts to decommission mail processing equipment and blue collection boxes. One lawsuit is being led by Washington state, joined by Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin; a second is being led by Pennsylvania, joined by California, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. The department was renamed the U.S. The eight-day strike of some 150,000 letter carriers in 30 cities took the nation by surprise, but for many in the U.S. WASHINGTON — The United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) today of price changes to take effect Jan. 26, 2020. By Rick Moran Sep 22, 2020 9:07 AM ET . USPS has so far appealed injunctions issued in Washington, D.C., Washington state and Pennsylvania. "[75], The crisis precipitated protests against the changes made by DeJoy, with protesters calling for the postmaster general's resignation. [1][2][3] The delays have had substantial legal, political, economic, and health repercussions. USPS headquarters officials repeatedly argued in court the postmaster general’s initiatives only led to mail delays because front-line workers misinterpreted their directives, though the employees themselves pushed back on that narrative. Postal … JUST WATCHED Video shows USPS mail being dumped in parking lot. [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. [2][13][14] After criticism, DeJoy admitted that these measures were causing delays in mail delivery, but said they would eventually improve service. [67] Since the operational changes imposed by DeJoy, veterans complain that such prescription deliveries have been delayed, often by weeks. "[32], A number of individuals, including candidates for public office, have filed lawsuits in federal court against the Postal Service, DeJoy and Trump in response to the crisis, and many more are expected. … 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. Postal Service over service delays, threat to election", "More Than 20 States Suing Postal Service Over Changes, Despite DeJoy's Reversal", "Federal judge issues temporary injunction against USPS operational changes amid concerns about mail slowdowns", "Records show Postal Service paid millions to DeJoy's former company", https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/federal-judge-orders-usps-to-conduct-election-day-sweeps-to-ensure-ballots-are-not-delayed-in-key-battleground-states/, https://www.businessinsider.com/federal-judge-sullivan-usps-louis-dejoy-mail-voting-problems-2020-11, https://usatoday.com/story/news/2020/11/04/judge-orders-postal-service-search-missing-ballots/6164636002/, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/judge-orders-further-sweeps-postal-service-facilities-undelivered-ballots-n1246667, "As states move to expand the practice, relatively few Americans have voted by mail", "Hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops usually cast ballots by mail. [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. 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. Replay. 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. [15] DeJoy also reorganized USPS leadership and staffing. [53] Former U.S. president Barack Obama accused Trump of deliberately "kneecapping" the Postal Service in order to discourage people from voting. [37][38][39][40], Voting by mail has become an increasingly common practice in the United States. The 2020 United States Postal Service crisis is a series of events that have caused backlogs and delays in the delivery of mail by the United States Postal Service (USPS). The strike doesn’t affect the U.S. parcel business, which generates about 60% of revenue. The company received $14 million in contracts in ten weeks between June and September 2020. [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. Tweet . The customers see it. [68] A letter to DeJoy from 31 U.S. senators asked him to reassess the effect of his changes on veterans. As the election drew closer, federal judges issued more specific instructions requiring postal management to notify employees that DeJoy’s reforms were null and void. 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. 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