WASHINGTON – Following reports from United States Postal Service (USPS) managers in Missouri that their staffing needs have been disregarded, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is calling for answers on what USPS will do to make sure it is maximizing efficiency at post offices in Missouri and across the country. McCaskill serves as the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has oversight and legislative authority over USPS.
“Missourians—especially in rural communities—rely on post offices for everything from life-saving medications to essential business supplies,” McCaskill said. “And that means we’ve got to make sure Missouri’s post offices have adequate and efficient staffing so that mail is getting to the right customers on time.”
In a letter to Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan, McCaskill detailed the concerns that mid-level and senior USPS managers in Missouri shared over insufficient staffing at their post offices. Too often, there are not enough entry-level clerks and mail handlers, which “add[s] to inefficiencies in the system [and]…can cause direct financial harm to USPS.” McCaskill is also seeking answers on if USPS is making cost-effective decisions when it considers hiring fulltime versus temporary employees.
McCaskill, a longtime advocate for postal service in rural communities, is widely credited with having waged a successful campaign over several years to save rural post offices and maintain delivery standards. Earlier this year, McCaskill introduced bipartisan legislation with Republican Jerry Moran of Kansas to protect hundreds of post offices around the country from indefinite “emergency closure.” McCaskill has also directed the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to look into reported postal service problems. Last January, McCaskill demanded answers from the Postal Service on how it will protect mail delivery for rural Missourians and efficiently manage the cost-sharing benefits with competitors to carry mail the “last mile,” especially in rural areas.
Read McCaskill’s letter to Brennan HERE.
###