HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania and Washington Attorneys General are leading a multistate coalition in suing to block service changes at the U.S. Postal Service, just as the postmaster was making his own statement Tuesday.
The new Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, implemented cost-cutting measures at the post office that have reportedly delayed mail service nationwide. DeJoy took over the Postal Service in June. His policy changes are now at the center of two federal lawsuits from at least 20 states.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro said his office has heard complaints of mail taking two or three times longer than usual to be delivered, packages being left on trucks, paychecks going uncashed and bills going unreceived.
“There is a process for changes like this. One that requires going before the Postal Regulatory Commission and holding public hearings, but yet none of that happened here,” Shapiro said.
In some states, the Postal Service began removing the iconic blue collection boxes and mail-processing machines. Shapiro said, right now, there is no evidence to indicate that has happened in Pennsylvania, but his office continues to investigate.
“And I can tell you that we are gathering evidence and will continue to do that as this process goes forward from York, Pennsylvania all the way across the Commonwealth,” he said.
DeJoy is now reversing course on his service changes. He said Tuesday he is halting an initiative to change retail hours at post offices, that no mail processing facilities will be closed and said the agency has not eliminated overtime.
“There are some longstanding operational initiatives— efforts that predate my arrival at the Postal Service—that have been raised as areas of concern as the nation prepares to hold an election in the midst of a devastating pandemic. To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded,” DeJoy said in a statement.
A Postal Service spokesman declined to comment to FOX43 news beyond DeJoy's statement. Despite the postponement of changes to mail delivery, Shapiro is moving full steam head with the federal lawsuit. He said he plans to file within the next 24 to 36 hours.
“I will not let my foot off the gas,” Shapiro said.
Meanwhile, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit Tuesday with 13 other states, including the battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin.
Ferguson said the impacts of the postal service changes go beyond mail-in voting—they undermine what communities depend on from the Postal Service every single day.
“Seniors rely on their mail service to get their medications. Veterans rely on it to get their prescriptions. Americans across the country rely on the Postal Service to receive benefits, like social security,” Ferguson said. “The case we are bringing is on behalf of all service changes and the negative impacts those changes have on Americans in many, many different ways.”
Full statement from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy:
“The United States Postal Service will play a critical role this year in delivering election mail for millions of voters across the country. There has been a lot of discussion recently about whether the Postal Service is ready, willing and able to meet this challenge.
I want to make a few things clear:
The Postal Service is ready today to handle whatever volume of election mail it receives this fall. Even with the challenges of keeping our employees and customers safe and healthy as they operate amid a pandemic, we will deliver the nation’s election mail on time and within our well-established service standards. The American public should know that this is our number one priority between now and election day. The 630,000 dedicated women and men of the Postal Service are committed, ready and proud to meet this sacred duty.
I am announcing today the expansion of our current leadership taskforce on election mail to enhance our ongoing work and partnership with state and local election officials in jurisdictions throughout the country. Leaders of our postal unions and management associations have committed to joining this taskforce to ensure strong coordination throughout our organization. Because of the unprecedented demands of the 2020 election, this taskforce will help ensure that election officials and voters are well informed and fully supported by the Postal Service.
I came to the Postal Service to make changes to secure the success of this organization and its long-term sustainability. I believe significant reforms are essential to that objective, and work toward those reforms will commence after the election. In the meantime, there are some longstanding operational initiatives — efforts that predate my arrival at the Postal Service — that have been raised as areas of concern as the nation prepares to hold an election in the midst of a devastating pandemic. To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded.
I want to assure all Americans of the following:
1. Retail hours at Post Offices will not change.
2. Mail processing equipment and blue collection boxes will remain where they are.
3. No mail processing facilities will be closed.
4. And we reassert that overtime has, and will continue to be, approved as needed.
In addition, effective Oct. 1, we will engage standby resources in all areas of our operations, including transportation, to satisfy any unforeseen demand.
I am grateful for the commitment and dedication of all the men and women of the Postal Service, and the trust they earn from the American public every day, especially as we continue to contend with the impacts of COVID-19. As we move forward, they will have the full support of our organization throughout the election.”