A recent audit of U.S. Postal Service operations in southern Maine has revealed a lack of staffing and inadequate training led to mail delivery delays and other issues.
The audit, which was requested by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, was conducted from March through June by the Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General.
The inspector general focused on five different delivery units, including ones in Portland and Lewiston, and deficiencies were found at all locations.
On one day in March, auditors found more than 150,000 pieces of mail experienced delays at the five delivery units and that management at some of those locations misreported the amount of delayed mail, according to the report.
“Mainers have shared with each of my six state offices about the ongoing mail delivery issues they face. The fact that in one day the IG found over 150,000 pieces of delayed mail in Maine is unacceptable,” Collins said. “I will continue to work closely with the Inspector General of the USPS to address workforce shortages, helping to ensure reliable service is restored to the communities and families who rely on the mail service every day.”
The audit found mail was delayed in many instances because of “insufficient staffing to accommodate mail volumes” and many of the delays were not properly reported because of “a lack of training and management oversight.”
The inspector general also made multiple recommendations to help correct the issues that were found.
Those recommendations included:
— Coordinate with Atlantic Area and Headquarters Human Resources to identify and implement additional strategies to fill carrier vacancies at the five units that were audited.
— Develop and execute a plan so that all committed mail is delivered daily, and that management conducts a daily sweep to identify delayed mail at the Sanford Post Office.
— Develop and execute a plan to verify that all delayed mail volume is entered into the proper system, and management systematically enforces reporting compliance.
In its response to the inspector general’s findings, the Postal Service management for northern New England agreed with all of the recommendations. Management said it had already made some changes, including providing new training for managers.