Dickinson residents demand urgent action as mail delays spark outcry

Nov. 29—DICKINSON — A growing sense of frustration and concern looms over Dickinson as residents grapple with increasingly long mail delays, with some reporting week-long droughts in deliveries. The issues have risen to the level sparking local activism and calls for intervention from elected officials. The community, once reliant on the United States Postal Service (USPS) for cost-effective deliveries, is now at the forefront of a nationwide struggle against routine delays, lost packages and missing mail.

Frequent complaints from newspaper subscribers who consistently do not receive their newspapers are a regular issue for The Dickinson Press, resulting in angry calls. In March, overwhelmed by constant complaints, The Press penned an

editorial

voicing deep concern about the USPS's declining performance and highlighting the impact delays have caused on local communities, including in Dickinson and much of southwest North Dakota.

Dickinson Postmaster Kentrisha Cunningham declined to respond to The Press' inquiries, citing USPS directives to not directly engage with the media. Inquiries were redirected to Desai O Abdul-Razzaaq, a USPS Strategic Communications Specialist, who has been unreachable as of this report.

Approximately 20 concerned citizens, disheartened by the deterioration in mail services, have organized action committees and approached the local post office demanding answers and immediate solutions.

Bob Sivak, retired fire chief who served the City of Dickinson for four decades, shared his worries about the ongoing issue of delayed deliveries in the region, emphasizing the need for more timely services.

Sivak highlighted a troubling trend, recounting the community's efforts to engage with local postal officials. According to him, he and many of his neighbors visited the post office seeking answers. He says that they refused to speak with more than two residents from the group and that in the conversation they were told that shortage of personnel and a focus on package delivery were contributors to the delays, with residents in Zone 11 informed that their mail might only be delivered if time allows.

"Well, over the past several months, we had experienced mail delivery becoming worse and worse as far as when we could expect it," Sivak said. "It was suggested to us at that time, that if we really needed our mail every day that we should consider renting a post office box."

Despite some marginal improvements following their initial visit, the issues persisted, leading them to again visit the post office to speak with the PostMaster a few weeks later.

"Package delivery is the priority we were told by the post office," Sivak said. "We told them that we were probably going to reach out to our congress people and the supervisor on shift we were speaking to at the post office encouraged us to do so."

The situation prompted Sivak and other concerned citizens to contact congressional representatives, including Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven, Representative Kelly Armstrong, and Governor Doug Burgum. While their initial efforts yielded some improvements, ongoing issues have led to renewed concerns and a loss of trust in the postal service.

"Several of us from the neighborhood contacted Cramer, Armstrong and Hoeven's offices, I think somebody even called Burgum's office. For the most part, we got a really good response from them. I was very impressed and pleased with how they responded to us," Sivak said. "They had, I believe, legitimate concern. We received follow up emails or phone calls from their offices and I really think that there were some questions and or political pressure put here locally, because things changed...for a bit."

In a parallel development, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn) has addressed the impact of USPS agreements with Amazon in

a letter

to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. The letter highlights the strain on postal employees and the system caused by a surge in Amazon deliveries, affecting millions of residents who depend on USPS for essential services.

The financial costs associated with these disruptions are significant, not only for businesses, but also individuals who pay for a service that is not being adequately provided. The USPS's commitment to its mandate has been called into question by residents in Dickinson with demands for immediate action to rectify the situation.

Despite the USPS reporting a staggering $70.6 billion in revenue last year, with $57 billion coming from commercial customers and $13 billion from retail operations, the service's ability to provide timely and secure deliveries has come under increased scrutiny in recent months.

"I'm a subscriber. But when I get my Wednesday newspaper on Sunday, you're gonna lose me as a subscriber," Sivak explained. "There have been times I haven't seen the paper at all."

Joy Schoch, Publisher of The Dickinson Press, expressed concerns over the postal service's failure to meet timely delivery expectations and the growing impact it has had on area businesses — including The Press.

"The challenges in meeting timely delivery expectations by the postal service have raised concerns among residents, businesses and public officials. We recognize the need for a swift resolution to address the disruption in our daily lives," she said. "There is a regrettable trend of subscribers seeking alternative means of staying informed due to frustrations with the unreliable mail service of their printed products. Our commitment remains to assist and ensure a seamless experience for our subscribers during these challenging times."

Schoch added that area subscribers facing difficulties will be accommodated if they call 701-225-8111, ext 0, for a prompt "re-delivery" of their paper.

Smith's letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy further addressed the difficult working conditions faced by postal employees and the strain on the system caused by a surge in Amazon deliveries. Millions of Minnesotans, like those in North Dakota, are dependent on the USPS for essential services and are experiencing delays with serious consequences, from late payment fees to days without critical medications.

"As Postmaster General, you are responsible for ensuring that the Postal Service meets its service standards, and it is clear right now that things are not working as they should," wrote Smith. "Entering into contracts that your system cannot support is a breach of your responsibilities."

Smith goes on in her letter to call for a remedy to the impact of Amazon's service agreement and the improvement of working conditions at the Postal Service.

The terms of the contract between USPS and Amazon remain undisclosed, but Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has acknowledged the challenges posed by the increasing package volume.

Senator Hoeven spoke with Angela Bye, U.S. Postal Service (USPS) District Manager for North Dakota and Minnesota, to discuss the status of postal operations in the state.

"We need to do all we can to ensure that North Dakotans are receiving their mail on time, as my office continues to hear from local residents about delays and other service issues," said Hoeven. "Importantly, we discussed with USPS District Manager Bye the need to repair CBU mailboxes in Minot and other communities, so residents aren't forced to wait in line at the post office just to collect their mail. At the same time, USPS is holding job fairs across North Dakota this week, and we want to make sure North Dakotans are aware of these job opportunities as these roles are important to providing for this essential service in our state."

In Dickinson, the sudden onslaught of Amazon packages has overwhelmed local postal workers, leading to delayed mail, stretched working hours and chaos at the post office according to residents who speak with their postal delivery people. The situation is not unique to Dickinson as

a recent article out of Bemidji

, Minnesota, showed that rural communities across the country are facing similar disruptions due to the increased volume of Amazon deliveries.

According to Sivak, the issues persist despite contact with elected officials.

"Today, do I trust the post office to mail a letter or receive a package? I have to say no," he said. "If we have a choice when we're receiving packages, if we can tell our shipper we do not want it passed off to the US Postal Service, we will do that. It's terrible. Absolutely a terrible feeling to have to say that, but there's something broken... something seriously wrong and I think it goes beyond just 'we can't hire people.'"

The Postal Service says that while the Amazon contract has caused some delays, the USPS is grappling with a $6.5 billion fiscal loss. They assert that adding increased package volume to their service is crucial to its financial future success. However, the strain on its aging infrastructure, especially in rural areas, has resulted in severe disruptions that have garnered increased media scrutiny.

"So you know, one of the things that we hear is that our route goes out every day. The route goes out every day for sure, but that means absolutely nothing. The route going out does not mean in any way, shape or form that you're going to get your mail," Sivak explained. "If they run out of time, even if your route is out in that truck, if they run out of time that undelivered mail goes back to the post office for the next day or the next day after that. That's what we've experienced."

As Dickinson residents endure prolonged mail delays, residents are urging the USPS to take immediate action to address the issue. Some residents have called for an increase in resources and personnel to ensure timely deliveries and a renewed commitment to training and educating USPS staff.

"The Postal Service recruitment and hiring process needs some serious attention. When I was younger, people wanted to work for the post office. It was a desired job," Sivak said. "You used to count on your mail, you could literally set your watch to when your mailman was going to be there...Not anymore."