WASHINGTON, D.C. — Leadership often manifests in the midst of crisis, and as the U.S. Postal Service faces significant consolidation efforts, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) has surfaced as a beacon of advocacy for Pennsylvania postal workers and residents. On Wednesday, Senator Casey reached out to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to express mounting concerns over the implications of these consolidation efforts.
At the heart of the matter is the potential for both postal workers and Pennsylvania residents to experience adverse effects due to USPS’s ongoing consolidation. Matters such as substantial changes in operations and delayed mail delivery times, especially for the residents of Lancaster County, have stirred grave concerns. And rightfully so, as these disruptions haven’t just been inconvenient; in some instances, they have resulted in election ballots being delivered late.
Senator Casey, in his letter, emphasized how the postal service has long served as an essential resource for communities, facilitating the safe and secure delivery of key information and uniting people from all corners of the globe. He decried the delays in paychecks, bills, prescription drugs, and more, stating, “Pennsylvanians are sick and tired…They deserve postal service they can count on.”
This isn’t the first time Senator Casey has stood up for the postal service. He has an established track record of urging the Postal Service to confront and rectify mail service issues in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, Senator Casey investigated substantial delivery delays of mail-order prescriptions.
His efforts continued into the following year when he secured an audit of the Lehigh Valley facility, despite having been denied access on a previous visit. In March 2022, he played a key role in passing the Postal Service Reform Act into law, a bipartisan legislation formulated to enhance the accountability, transparency, and sustainability of the Postal Service.
In more recent times, Senator Casey issued a call to Postmaster General DeJoy to address the systemic issues with mail delivery throughout Pennsylvania, specifically targeting the Germantown Post Office in Philadelphia and the White Haven Post Office in Luzerne County. His consistent advocacy led to an audit of postal operations in the Philadelphia area by the USPS Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The audit unearthed that thousands of pieces of mail were in a delayed state, languishing within the post office.
However, the Senator’s work did not stop there. In response to a payroll disruption causing some rural Pennsylvania mail carriers to either miss or only partially receive their paychecks, Senator Casey sent another letter to USPS in October 2023. He urged them to rectify this disruption, highlighting the pivotal role these carriers play in the community.
In his most recent correspondence to Postmaster General DeJoy, Senator Casey addresses the Delivering for America Ten-Year Plan, and while he doesn’t disagree with the broader vision, he raises concerns about its implementation, particularly in Pennsylvania. He further highlights the potential consequences for postal workers and local mail delivery services, demanding more transparency regarding USPS’s specific plans in the Commonwealth.
Moreover, Senator Casey voices his concern over the quick pace of these changes, referring to some as “intentional impairment.” He calls for improved communications between the Postal Service and those directly affected by the changes, an opportunity for impacted workers and communities to voice their feedback, and for the USPS to provide concrete details justifying these changes.
It is clear that Senator Casey is stepping up as a forceful advocate for postal service workers and residents alike. His efforts stand as a testament to his dedication to ensuring that the postal services, a vital community resource, remains reliable and secure. Actions such as these remind us all of how crucial it is to have leaders who are willing to stand up and fight for what is right – even when it pertains to something as seemingly mundane, yet fundamentally integral, as our postal system.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and Microsoft Start.