Press release from North Dakota Senator John Hoeven (R)

Hoeven Requests Postal Service Review of Progress in Addressing Key Challenges in Western ND

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Postal Service has postponed its scheduled second round of mail processing center closures and consolidations, meaning it has postponed consolidation of the Minot Area Mail Processing Center.

Hoeven has been working with the U.S. Postal Service to improve service in western North Dakota and to retain the Minot facility. Today, they informed him they will postpone the revised mail service standards. These changes, which were scheduled to begin to take effect on February 1, would have resulted in further consolidation of mail processing facilities across the country to reduce Postal Service costs. Hoeven said few details are available at this time, but that this indefinite delay means a future consolidation schedule could still be announced by the Postal Service. It would have to make the notice the action at least 90 days before it takes effect.

“Postponement of the Minot processing center’s closure will give us additional time to make our case, which is that the logistical and service problems resulting from closure will have a harmful impact on residents and businesses,” Hoeven said. “The rapid growth of the entire region’s economy and population warrants retaining the postal processing center. Further, while progress has been made in general service to western North Dakota, significant challenges remain and need to be addressed.”

In a letter sent to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, Hoeven asked the agency’s top official for a report on the agency’s progress in correcting problem areas in service for western North Dakota. The areas were identified in August when Hoeven hosted Donahoe on a visit to Williston and the surrounding area, and again during a subsequent visit to the state in November by Drew Aliperto, the head of the Postal Services Western Area Operations.

Key areas of concern are:

• Minot Area Mail Processing (AMP) Center
• Mail Delivery to Employer Housing Units
• Consistent Local Newspaper Delivery
• Review of POST Plan Facility Closures & Service Reductions
• Expansion & Relocation of Postal Facilities in Williston and Watford City
• Mail Delivery Inconsistencies
• Staffing & Training
• Premium Pay for postal workers

Here are excerpts from Senator Hoeven’s letter  to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe:

• Mail Delivery Inconsistencies: Although not addressed as an individual topic during your visits, my office has been contacted by constituents on numerous occasions regarding inconsistent delivery of mail, missing mail, and receipt of mail that ended up taking an excessive number of days (and in some instances weeks) for delivery. There have been recent reports of undelivered mail being found on shelves, in vehicles, and other areas as well. While these are anecdotal cases, the Postal Service must ensure that such instances do not escalate into a systemic problem. Contributing factors to this situation could most likely be related to the lack of permanent employees, temporary employees who do not know the area, or the experience level of new hires due to the low pay in the region.

• Staffing & Training: I am advised that significant resources have been directed to work on this issue as turnover and training of quality employees have been problematic and a significant contributor to the service problems in the region. Even with increased resources and attention, the recruitment and retention of permanent employees is reported to be an ongoing problem. I am advised that five job fairs were held in the region in mid-December, which resulted in a significant number of potential applicants and that the process continuesfor those individuals who attended the job fairs and submitted applications. Unfortunately, the system in place for interviews, background and drug testing, and internal reviews has reportedly continued to slow this process down. While I recognize the need to properly scrutinize persons that will be entrusted with handling personal and business mail, I hope that you could find ways to streamline the process without compromising the integrity and security of the services.

• Premium Pay: During your visit in August, you clearly recognized the disparity between the pay offered by the Postal Service as compared to other employers in the Bakken Oil Region and committed to making positive changes in this area. Since that time, it has been reported to me that Postal Service Managers have stated there will not be consideration of premium pay for employees and managers as the cost of living in the region does not warrant the premium pay. A study by the Bakken Federal Executive Group completed during the summer of 2013 was provided to Mr. Aliperto, which clearly exhibits the inflated costs, especially for housing and services, in the Bakken Oil Region. During the December meeting with Mr. Aliperto, a representative of the Rural Postal Carriers Association indicated a willingness to work with the Postal Service on contractual issues to provide the necessary financial assistance to employees in the region.

In order to meet regional service needs due to vacancies and high turnover, employees from other areas have been recruited to work in several of the Bakken communities on a temporary basis. It is also my understanding that employees who transferred to regional postal facilities are nearing the end of their commitment and will be able to transfer to other locations throughout the u.s. within the next two to three months. I am advised that a significant number of the employees have expressed a desire to remain as permanent employees if premium pay was provided. This situation also applies to mid-managers and Postmasters who are required to work extensive hours without the benefit of overtime or premium pay. Redirecting funds for temporary employees from other regions to premium pay for permanent employees would undoubtedly result in the retention of current employees, an increased labor pool, stabilized mid-management and Postmaster positions, and ultimately improved consistency of services by employees who are invested in their communities for the long term.
Related links;

Mail for rural Williston, North Dakota stacks up after postal workers quit

Postmaster General Visits North Dakota for Firsthand Look at State’s Needs

Postmaster General to Visit North Dakota in August

Sen. Hoeven Presses USPS to Address Reliability, Quality Issues in Western North Dakota