Colorado senators request visit from US Postal Service amid unreliable service

Residents in several of Colorado's mountain and rural communities are dealing with unreliable service. Now, the state's two senators are requesting a visit from U.S. Postal Service officials. 

Sen. Michael Bennet and Sen. John Hickenlooper, both Democrats, have written a letter to the postmaster general. 

Topics include details about the sharp rise in complaints about service, longer delays in mail delivery, gaps in other USPS services, limited hours, hour-long lines to pick up mail and packages and poor facility maintenance. 

In the letter, Bennet and Hickenlooper have some suggestions to restore quality service:

• Resolve staffing shortages: It is evident that USPS in Colorado struggles to recruit and retain full-time staff, particularly in small mountain towns. The resulting staffing shortages are the primary cause of service and delivery issues. Long delays in the hiring process, often without communication from USPS, have pushed applicants to take other jobs at comparable wages within days, not weeks. We encourage USPS to streamline the hiring process to enable the Colorado-Wyoming district to attract and retain staff.
• Partner with towns to identify affordable housing for USPS staff: The Colorado-Wyoming district staff have identified the lack of affordable housing in mountain towns as a significant barrier to staff retention. USPS must develop partnerships within communities to identify affordable housing and ensure that staff qualify for housing requirements.
• Revamp physical infrastructure, particularly for packages: Many of the facilities currently in use are too small for effective organization, storage, and distribution of packages and parcels. USPS must invest in facilities to ensure adequate space. This may include replacing existing facilities.
• Reinstate regular updates to the Congressional delegation: Last year, Colorado-Wyoming district staff indicated that it would resume quarterly calls with the Congressional delegation. These calls allow congressional offices to raise constituent concerns; they are also an opportunity for USPS to describe efforts to resolve ongoing staffing and delivery issues. We urge you to reinstate these calls immediately.