Press Release: 2024-12-02
As Holiday Packages Hit the Mail, Sen. Markey, Mass. Delegation members Urge Postmaster General, Inspector General to Address Delivery Delays, Lost mail, Closed Post Offices in Mass.
Letter to the Postmaster General (PDF) | Letter to USPS Inspector General (PDF)
Boston (November 27, 2024) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today led members of the Massachusetts delegation, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representatives Richard Neal (MA-01), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Seth Moulton (MA-06), and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) in sending letters to United States Postal Service (USPS) Inspector General Tammy Hull and USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to address persistent postal service issues across Massachusetts. In their letter to USPS Inspector General Hull, the lawmakers called for a review of postal operations in Massachusetts and decisions from management which have caused several pressing issues with daily mail delivery and closed postal facilities, including: mail delivery delays in Boston; closed post offices in Medway, Watertown, and Allston; lost mail in greater Boston; the proposed consolidation of the Brockton Processing and Distribution Center; and the USPS proposal for a rural mail delivery slowdown.
In the letter to Inspector General Hull, the lawmakers wrote, “For more than a year, we have observed a pattern of facility closures, consolidations, and slowed service resulting in delayed or lost mail for our constituents. Our efforts to address these concerns with USPS have been shrugged off by management. We write to ask that you conduct a review of the cause of these problems.”
Following USPS’ refusal to testify before the Boston City Council on November 13, the lawmakers wrote to USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to criticize management for its lack of accessibility and repeatedly dismissing the concerns of Massachusetts communities. In the letter, the lawmakers ask for ZIP-code level data to better address the disparate impact that mail delivery delays are causing, particularly in communities of historical underinvestment in Boston. The lawmakers specifically pointed out that populations across the Commonwealth rely on USPS to differing degrees, including for delivery and notifications related to medications, government services, and more.
In the letter to Postmaster General DeJoy the lawmakers wrote, “Proper postal service takes differing lived experiences into account when ensuring that mail delivery is regular and frequent. We understand that proper mail delivery is a justice issue; we question whether you do.”
Senator Markey and the Massachusetts delegation have taken several recent actions to address concerns with USPS service. In October 2023, Senators Markey, Warren, and Rep. McGovern sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy encouraging the USPS to restore adequate postal service to the Town of Medway, which experienced a sudden suspension of service in August 2023. The lawmakers sent another letter in November 2023 calling on USPS to abide by their required timeline for announcing plans to re-open the Medway Post Office and engage in community input processes.
In March 2024, Senator Markey and his Senate colleagues sent a letter to Postmaster General DeJoy urging him to stop any changes to USPS service standards that would result in job losses and further degrade mail delivery performance, which would have resulted in the consolidation of the Brockton Processing and Delivery Center. Due in part to Senator Markey’s advocacy, in June, USPS announced it would pause the proposed consolidations. In July, Senator Markey joined Boston City Councilor Sharon Durkan to successfully fight the closure of the Mission Hill Post Office, which would have created increased stress on the already-faltering Roxbury Post Office.
Most recently, in August 2024, Senator Markey and members of the Massachusetts delegation wrote to Postmaster DeJoy demanding a meeting to hear about plans to address these persistent statewide concerns with mail delivery delays and postal facility closures in Massachusetts.