7.8.2020 Letter To USPS On Mt. Greenwood

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20515 Danie LiPnsit July 8, 2020 The Honorable Louis Deloy Postmaster General United States Postal Service 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW Washington, DC 20260 Dear Postmaster General Deloy: We are writing to express our concems about persistent mail delivery and customer service problems at the Mt. Greenwood USPS facility located at 3349 W. 111" Street in Chicago, Illinois, and asking for your commitment to take corrective action to remedy these concerns. Over the last several years, we have heard from constituents regarding serious deficiencies associated with this facility, including constituents who report having gone days without receiving their mail and customers who have been treated unfairly or disrespectfully when visiting the facility. Intervention from USPS senior leadership is imperative to finding long-term solutions for the Mt. Greenwood facility that will restore community trust in their postal services. While the COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges for postal operations, these delivery issues are not new and have continued to frustrate our constituents for years. We attempted to address the issues with the Mt. Greenwood facility by holding a town hall meeting with USPS staff and the community on May 28, 2019, Mail delivery and customer service improved incrementally after the town hall, but these gains were short lived and operations have regressed back to their prior state, We routinely hear about sporadic mail delivery coupled with insufficient corrective action when complaints are made. Customers report offensive or otherwise discourteous responses to consumer ‘complaints. Constituents frequently contact our offices to say that they have not received mail for ‘a week or more and at times have been forced to visit the post office to finally track their mail down, Post office staff have responded rudely to consumers making complaints, and stafT have even requested that no complaints be made to local elected officials. This lack of accountability and transparency is entirely inappropriate and unacceptable. We feel that these reports warrant investigation and concrete action by USPS leadership to ensure that our constituents receive reliable delivery of essential items that they depend on for their financial and physical well-being. ‘As you know, regular mail and package delivery is critical for our community to function. During the COVID-19 pandemic, seniors, people with disabilities, unemployed individuals, and others have an even greater need for reliable mail service. Our constituents may be expecting tax refunds, stimulus payments, prescription drugs, forms for unemployment insurance and other assistance — programs, and many other items of high importance, Their well-being depends on their ability to receive these items in a timely manner. The volume of complaints about the Mt, Greenwood facility far exceeds complaints we receive about other local USPS facilities. We are aware some post offices are experiencing staffing shortages, and therefore have temporary staff who may be less familiar with USPS protocols. While staffing issues may be exacerbating the problems at the Mt. Greenwood facility, the exceptionally high volume of complaints suggests there may be additional factors at play that require closer examination and corrective action, including the need for additional training for substitutes and part time staff at this facility We request that your senior leadership team undertake a thorough investigation into the operations. of the Mt, Greenwood Post Office and inform us and our community of the findings of that investigation. We further request that you take corrective actions to improve customer service, remedy issues negatively affecting mail delivery functions, and deploy additional staff training to restore community trust in this facility. Our constituents are rightfully frustrated, as these problems can affect their health and financial security. We thank you for your attention to this matter and look forward to hearing from you by July 27, 2020. Sincerely, J ‘ Ltd, L DANIEL W. LYPINSKI BILL CUXNINGHAM Member of Congress, Illinois’s 3" District Mlinois State Senator, 18" District Wie, O'SHEA Alderman, 19" Ward ce: The Honorable Dick Durbin, United States Senator ‘The Honorable Tammy Duckworth, United States Senator Salvatore Vacca, Acting Vice President, Great Lakes Area, United States Postal Service

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