Postmaster General says ballots will arrive on time. Postal workers aren’t so sure
A USPS letter carrier works in Cambridge, MA on Aug. 25. Credit - Lane Turner—The Boston Globe/Getty ImagesOnce it became clear in August that his ambitious cost-cutting agenda had slowed mail delivery, spurred a national backlash, and fueled allegations that he was using his perch to aid President Donald Trump’s reelection, he announced he was suspending some of these initiatives “to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.
None of the workers or representatives interviewed by TIME said they had seen a concrete plan for how USPS plans to address a surge of mailed ballots. None reported receiving concrete guidelines from their superiors. “We’re not being told anything – they’re not discussing the election with us,” says Roscoe Woods, President of the 480-481 Local American Postal Workers Union in Michigan. “The only thing they’re doing is giving service talks reminding people not to talk to the media.
In a subsequent statement, Johnson emphasized that DeJoy’s cost-cutting measures have been effective: “As a result of these initiatives, our on-time departures are approaching 98 percent and extra trips are down by over 70 percent.” But those metrics may not be meaningful to most Americans, who are primarily concerned that their mail—including time sensitive parcels, like ballots and prescription drugs—are delivered in a timely manner.
But this year, two disparate problems have converged. The first was the unexpected global pandemic, which put mail carriers on the front lines, depleting the workforce as people took absences after contracting the virus or becoming exposed to it. By April, 900 workers had tested positive; as of September, that number had increased to over 10,000. More than 80 have died, according to a union representative.
While DeJoy, under pressure in August, suspended his reform initiatives until the election, some union officials and workers tell TIME that they’re still in effect. Woods, the local postal union President in Michigan, says that mail carriers are still leaving the processing plant in Pontiac on schedule, even when their trucks are 20% full. Kim Miller, the President of the Keystone Area local union in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said workers were raising questions about a similar situation.
All of the plants where workers are raising issues are in swing states, which will be crucial in determining the outcome of the presidential race. All of the officials TIME spoke with said they were concerned about handling an expected influx of ballots given the current restrictions. “I have all the confidence in the world we will be able to handle the mail volume… if more people than ever do mail in ballots this year,” says Mariconi.
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