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U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) today pressed U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Megan J. Brennan on continued issues with mail delivery in Ypsilanti. Dingell wrote to Ms. Brennan in January detailing recurring problems reported by constituents and city leaders, including long delays in pickup and delivery, periods where no mail is delivered for days at a time, and unresponsive and unreachable customer service. Despite written assurances from USPS that the problems are being addressed, Dingell has received more than 100 complaints from residents since her last letter detailing continued mail delays and other issues. 

“This letter is to once again address the significant issues with mail delivery service in Ypsilanti, Michigan and to request that the U.S. Postal Service take prompt action to rectify the problems that the community is having in this regard,” Dingell wrote. “This is the third time that I have had to reach out to USPS on behalf of the Ypsilanti residents since 2016 and the second time this calendar year. Residents of Ypsilanti deserve to have timely and consistent mail service, and the magnitude and duration of these mail problems is unacceptable. Please provide me an updated assessment of the problems the Ypsilanti Post Office is facing as well as steps taken to address these delivery issues.”

Dingell requested detailed answers to questions raised about the operation of the Ypsilanti Post Office, including staffing issues and the management of the mail delivery workload. She also requested a meeting with senior USPS staff in Washington, D.C. and a follow up meeting with regional USPS personnel in Michigan.  

The full letter is available here and below. 

February 20, 2018

Ms. Megan J. Brennan
Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer
United States Postal Service
475 L’Enfant Plaza S.W.
Washington, DC 20260

Dear Ms. Brennan,

This letter is to once again address the significant issues with mail delivery service in Ypsilanti, Michigan and to request that the U.S. Postal Service take prompt action to rectify the problems that the community is having in this regard. This is the third time that I have had to reach out to USPS on behalf of the Ypsilanti residents since 2016 and the second time this calendar year. In spite of written assurances that my office has received from USPS that the problems are being addressed and corrective action has been taken to fix mail delivery issues, the Ypsilanti community continues to experience a substantial volume of mail delays and problems. 

Service issues that my office has been notified of in the past week include:
- Mail is often being delivered after 8PM.
- Mail is not being delivered for days at a time. A large bundle of older mail is then delivered after several days.
- Mail continues to be consistently delivered to the wrong homes - so often that neighborhoods have taken to organizing street wide communication to sort on their own.
- Package deliveries are late, delivered to incorrect addresses, or arrive damaged at their destination.
- Customer service remains an issue with the Ypsilanti Post Office, with long lines and a lack of responsiveness to customer complaints.
- Individuals have reported management issues with the Ypsilanti Post Office and fear retaliation for raising concerns about service issues.

The high volume and persistence of mail delivery problems in Ypsilanti is having a substantial impact on the community’s ability to send and receive mail in a timely manner, and these issues have been raised to me by a number of constituents and city leaders. In discussing these issues with my constituents, a number of concerns have been raised about the operation of the Ypsilanti Post Office, including staffing issues and the management of the mail delivery workload.

Given that these issues have seemingly gone unaddressed, please provide answers to the following questions:
- Has management at the Ypsilanti Post Office or District Level received any inquiries or complaints about the mail carriers’ workload being unreasonable? If so, what is the frequency of these complaints and how are they handled?
- Does the Ypsilanti Post Office have sufficient personnel to provide timely service to the community?  How is staffing determined? Please provide details about the number of vacant positions at the Ypsilanti Post Office, as well as the turnover rate of employees.
- When was the last time that the feasibility of the Ypsilanti Post Office routes were evaluated? Have these been updated to account for the increased volume of packages that USPS is processing?
- How has the increase in package volume from Amazon affected the Ypsilanti Post Office’s ability to meet service delivery standards? Were additional staff added to account for this increased workload?
- Do all established mail routes have permanent carriers assigned that are available and able to deliver the mail? What is the protocol when a permanent carrier is unavailable or on leave due to an unscheduled absence?
- If the office has an adequate amount of personnel, why is the mail delivery inconsistent, with different delivery times and mail carriers throughout the week? What steps are you taking to address these systemic issues?
- Our office does not receive the same volume of complaints from nearby communities about mail issues. What makes Ypsilanti’s mail delivery assignments different from those in surrounding cities? What volume of mail does the Ypsilanti Post Office handle, and how does this workload compare with similar postal units?
- A commitment was made by the Ypsilanti Postal Service to the citizens of the Ypsilanti community that the facilities’ phones would be answered and staff would be accessible to handle any mail issues that may arise. However, my office has continued to receive reports of issues reaching USPS staff. What additional steps will you take to address this issue?

Residents of Ypsilanti deserve to have timely and consistent mail service, and the magnitude and duration of these mail problems is unacceptable. Please provide to me an updated assessment of the problems the Ypsilanti Post office is facing as well as steps taken to address these delivery issues. Additionally, I am requesting a meeting in the coming weeks with senior USPS staff in my Washington, DC office, as well as a follow-up meeting with regional USPS personnel in Michigan to discuss the issues that my constituents continue to face and a plan of action to rectify these long-term mail delivery problems.

Thank you for your attention to this issue and I look forward to receiving your prompt response.
                                                                       

                                                                        Sincerely,
                                                            
                                                                        Debbie Dingell
                                                                        Member of Congress