Raleigh customers’ mail and packages delayed by staffing shortages, COVID, audit finds
Staffing issues and overburdened routes at a Raleigh post office delayed the delivery of thousands of pieces of mail and packages, an audit found.
Inspectors from the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General conducted the audit of the Avent Ferry Station in Raleigh over three months, from November 2020 to January 2021, their report stated.
On a site visit in November, inspectors found an estimated 6,048 “letters and flats” and 182 packages had still not been sent out for delivery that day. The delays spanned 27 city routes and four rural routes, according to the report.
Staff at the station blamed the delays on a shortage of staff and overburdened delivery routes, according to the report. As of Jan. 19 there were 21 unfilled positions at the post office: 17 full-time carrier positions, two full-time clerk positions and two management positions.
Philip Bogenberger, a spokesman for the Postal Service, declined to comment Tuesday when The News & Observer asked how many people currently work at the station and how many vacancies remain.
COVID-19 concerns
The audit also noted that inspections of the seven overburdened routes had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Station management said management vacancies had also caused delays in reporting delayed mail. Only 375 pieces of delayed mail had been reported Nov. 16, one day prior to a site visit by inspectors finding the actual total was over 6,200.
During a period from May to September, inspectors found 41,548 packages had been improperly scanned at the station, rather than the delivery site. All but 181 of these were marked delivered before leaving the station, according to the audit.
Inspectors noted that people rely on scan data to track their packages, and that incorrect scanning can make it difficult for them to determine the status of their packages.
In the report, inspectors said scanning issues “occurred because district and local management did not adequately monitor and enforce package scanning and handling procedures.” The station manager had only been there for two months and was unaware issues were occurring, the report added.
Other concerns noted in the report included unsecured vehicles susceptible to theft and a lack of enforcement of COVID-19 safety protocols at the station.
Employees were reluctant to wear masks, hand soap and paper towels were not provided in the station restroom, and daily cleanings were not regularly conducted, according to the audit report.
Manager agreed with audit findings
In a Jan. 12 response included in the audit report, Greensboro District Manager Russell Gardner agreed with all findings, and said the office would be taking steps to ensure stricter adherence to protocols and to begin hiring new staff.
Bogenberger declined to comment on what action had been taken in the six weeks since Gardner’s response, pointing to it as the Postal Service’s official response. He also noted remarks by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform last month, in which DeJoy spoke generally about the challenges facing the Service, and its commitment to addressing its shortcomings.
The Postal Service declined an N&O request to speak with the Raleigh Postmaster, and did not respond to multiple requests to speak with Gardner.
