International Courant
An audit carried out by the Postal Service’s inspector normal discovered vital issues at a brand new regional processing facility in Virginia, together with water-damaged mail left unprocessed for months and a employee asleep at a forklift.
The audit, dated March 28, raises questions in regards to the Postal Service’s plans to modernize its processing community — the Richmond facility that was the main focus of the audit is the primary of a deliberate 60 regional processing facilities that USPS is launching nationwide which are presupposed to streamline operations and enhance effectivity.
However the audit discovered that issues on the Richmond heart, which opened in July, have contributed to a drop in on-time service that now finds Virginia ranked worst within the nation. The inspector normal stated solely 66% of first-class mail has been delivered inside two days within the present fiscal yr, in comparison with a nationwide common of 87%. No different area within the U.S. fell beneath 80%, in keeping with the inspector normal’s workplace.
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The Postal Service has estimated that the $23 million facility will produce $15 million yearly in financial savings by consolidating operations. However the audit discovered that work hours and time beyond regulation really elevated after the middle opened.
“Right now, it’s unclear if the Postal Service will understand the anticipated financial savings related to consolidating operations into the Richmond” regional processing heart, the audit concluded.
A employee pulls a cart at the US Postal Service Processing and Distribution Middle in Dulles, Virginia, on Dec. 14, 2023. A distinct facility in Richmond is the primary of 60 extra deliberate processing facilities within the area, however after an audit discovered obtrusive points, the way forward for the initiative is unclear. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg through Getty Photographs)
Auditors additionally stated they found “a normal inattention to element that resulted in mail left on or round machines, massive quantities of machinable mail in guide processing, and in a single case, mail over two months outdated left in a container within the truck yard.” Additionally they noticed a mail handler sleeping on a parked forklift.
Postal Service officers responded to the audit and stated they agree with many of the 10 particular suggestions for enchancment made within the report by the inspector normal.
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“We have now undertaken intensive efforts to totally tackle these challenges and points in Richmond, which has led to continued efficiency enchancment,” the officers stated of their formal response to the audit.
Virginia’s two U.S. senators, Democrats Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, issued a joint assertion together with U.S. Reps. Jennifer McClellan, D-Va., Bobby Scott, D-Va., Rob Wittman, R-Va., Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., Bob Good, R-Va., and Jen Kiggans, R-Va., calling on USPS to repair the issues recognized within the report.
“It couldn’t be clearer that USPS has not been offering dependable service to Virginians, and we’ve been urgent for solutions. This report pinpoints plenty of points, together with an absence of coordination between USPS and workers on the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Middle (RPDC),” the lawmakers stated. “USPS should present extra sources and clearer steerage to administration and workers at RPDC, amongst different steps.”
