‘Pretty extreme’: USPS says staffing shortages, winter weather cause major mail slowdowns

JAMAICA PLAIN, Mass. — Some residents in Jamaica Plain and Brookline say they’ve gone weeks without getting any mail from the U.S. Postal Service.

“I can say there’s been delays in the past having lived here over time for over a decade, but this was pretty extreme,” said Patrick Banfield.

Banfield says he’s been missing mail for about 12 days until today.

“Today this morning I got a lot of mail, so I’m hoping I now have everything,” said Banfield. “We were missing a form to extend Cobra coverage for dental care, and I had to pay for my daughter’s fillings this week, so I have to get reimbursed for that.”

From medical documents to tax forms, many here say the delay in mail deliveries has been frustrating.

“Probably in the past 3 weeks we’ve gotten mail like 4 days, so it’s been sporadic at least, but there were several day stretches throughout there that we didn’t get anything,” said Elizabeth Cumberbatch, who lives in J.P.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service says they’ve had some staffing challenges at some of their locations, which could be causing some delays.

In these instances, they tell Boston 25 News they’re taking specific actions, which includes:

• Continuing to fully authorize overtime to allow employees to work the time necessary to deliver mail.
• Expanding mail deliveries to earlier in the morning and later in the evening to ensure customers receive mail at the earliest date possible.
• Using additional carriers from nearby offices, when necessary, to maintain mail deliveries.
• Hiring additional personnel. To view available positions, use this link. Job postings are updated frequently, so job seekers should check the website often.

“Same way we’re all just trying to work within the confines of digging out piles of snow, we’re just trying to give the post office some grace, but we also want to file our taxes,” said Cumberbatch.

The USPS also says inclement weather can cause delays.

Many residents say they’ve been noticing the delays in mail ever since two feet of snow piled up a few weeks ago.

“I do recognize that there’s been poor weather but you know my kids have been going to school every day my son takes public transportation to school so I would expect a little more service than that,” said Banfield.

The U.S. Postal Service also says when there is a big snowstorm like the one we had recently, try to make sure there’s a clear path for postal workers to safely deliver your mail.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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