WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) led Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in sending a letter to President Biden urging the nomination of individuals to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors who understand mail delivery challenges facing rural areas. The Senators asked the president to send Board of Governors nominees to Congress before the end of the year who will hold U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy accountable for his failure to provide adequate mail services in rural communities.

“Unfortunately, under Postmaster General DeJoy’s tenure mail service in rural communities has continued to deteriorate. In carrying out Postmaster General DeJoy’s flawed Ten-Year Plan, USPS has under resourced packaging facilities in rural communities in order to consolidate operations, failed to perform regular maintenance on package sorting equipment, and tried to curb overtime payments that allow carriers to deliver mail and packages on time,” wrote the Senators. “We recognize the Postal Service has a responsibility to be financially sound, but the Board of Governors must ensure that these strategies do not impact timely mail service, customer service, or worker safety.”

“The shortcomings of USPS are perhaps most apparent in its struggle to attract and retain workers,” the Senators continued. “We are concerned workforce retention issues will further deteriorate under Postmaster General DeJoy’s implementation of the Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System (RRECS), which mail carriers have warned will cut rural carrier rates without making changes to their routes. It is concerning that USPS has moved forward with implementation of RRECS despite concerns that this methodology could cut workers’ pay while at the same time the USPS is seeking to hire more postal employees.”

On how the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 can help address the financial burden of the USPS and revive facility infrastructure: “These investments can help revitalize USPS and empower it to adapt to the diverse needs of communities across the country—if we have a proactive, experienced, and energetic Board of Governors that is able to provide appropriate oversight of Postmaster General DeJoy and get the agency back on track.

They close, “We urge you to swiftly nominate individuals to the Board of Governors that will do just that. This is an indispensable opportunity that can put USPS back to work in serving our communities.”

The Board of Governors is an 11-member governing body appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Similar to a board of directors, the Board of Governors approves and reviews the policies of the USPS.

The Postal Service has long been the primary mail service provider for rural communities, where private delivery companies often fall short. Yet, the USPS has continually left many rural communities unheard and underserved. Since the devastating flooding in Vermont this summer, the Montpelier Post Office has been operating out of a series of temporary locations, which, up until mid-November, consisted of two mobile units positioned on River Street in Montpelier, with no power to sustain air conditioning in the summer, heat in cold fall temperatures, or lighting needed to work inside. The mobile units were recently removed, and USPS operations were moved to the Barre Post Office, leaving Vermont’s capital city without a functioning post office. The problems in Montpelier reflecta failure of national USPS management that has become a persistent pattern in Vermont.

Senator Welch is a longtime leader on postal issues and has pushed for reforms to alleviate staffing shortages and extreme mail delays across Vermont.

Read the full text of the letter here and below:

Dear Mr. President,

As you consider nominees to fill upcoming United States Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors (BoG) vacancies, we urge you to select candidates with strong backgrounds in postal matters and the temperament to work effectively with the other Governors to hold Postmaster General Louis Dejoy accountable in his management of USPS and ensure the Postal Service is meeting the needs of rural customers. We ask you to send BoG nominees to Congress before the end of the year.

The Postal Service has long been the primary mail service provider for rural communities, where private delivery companies often fall short. According to the Postal Service’s own research, more than 80% of rural customers view the organization as valuable.

Unfortunately, under Postmaster General DeJoy’s tenure mail service in rural communities has continued to deteriorate. In carrying out Postmaster General DeJoy’s flawed Ten-Year Plan, USPS has under resourced packaging facilities in rural communities in order to consolidate operations, failed to perform regular maintenance on package sorting equipment, and tried to curb overtime payments that allow carriers to deliver mail and packages on time. USPS has announced that further cost-cutting measures are imminent. We recognize the Postal Service has a responsibility to be financially sound, but the BoG must ensure that these strategies do not impact timely mail service, customer service, or worker safety.

The shortcomings of USPS are perhaps most apparent in its struggle to attract and retain workers. The Postal Service is failing its own retention goals for non-career employees, with turnover rates at 58.2%. As a result, postal workers are being spread thin, with some working more than 60 hours a week. We are concerned workforce retention issues will further deteriorate under Postmaster General DeJoy’s implementation of the Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System (RRECS), which mail carriers have warned will cut rural carrier rates without making changes to their routes. It is concerning that USPS has moved forward with implementation of RRECS despite concerns that this methodology could cut workers’ pay while at the same time the USPS is seeking to hire more postal employees.

In 2022, Congress passed the Postal Service Reform Act to address the financial burden of the USPS by ending the requirement to prefund employee retirement health benefits. The Inflation Reduction Act also provided historic investments to revive the USPS, including $1.29 billion for zero-emission delivery vehicles and $1.71 billion to support facility infrastructure for these vehicles. These investments can help revitalize USPS and empower it to adapt to the diverse needs of communities across the country—if we have a proactive, experienced, and energetic BoG that is able to provide appropriate oversight of Postmaster General DeJoy and get the agency back on track.

We urge you to swiftly nominate individuals to the BoG that will do just that. This is an indispensable opportunity that can put USPS back to work in serving our communities.

Sincerely,

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