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