USPS report reveals nearly 79,000 pieces of delayed mail at Bemidji Post Office during 3-day investigation

May 7—BEMIDJI — The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General has released

a report

on the operations of the Bemidji Post Office, sharing that it found nearly 79,000 pieces of delayed mail during its three-day investigation in December.

The investigation came after the Bemidji Post Office gained national attention in late 2023 following

a symbolic strike led by rural mail carriers in November

who were protesting 12-hour days after what they described as an influx of Amazon packages that were prioritized over other mail.

In response, the OIG conducted an investigation into the post office's operations, including three days of direct observations starting on Dec. 12, 2023.

Its report concluded that the office had a significant increase in package volume in November, as well as insufficient staffing, preparation and resources, all of which impacted operations and led to delays in mail.

Among its findings, the report found that over that three-day period in December, 78,948 pieces of mail were delayed. Of that number, 70,028 were letters, 8,580 were flats and 340 were packages.

It also identified that package volume had increased substantially starting in November, tied to a "large shipper" beginning to deliver packages to the office for drop shipment.

In the report, it's stated that the "large shipper" estimated it would drop off an average of 2,408 packages to the Bemidji Post Office daily. This figure would have increased the package volume by 131% compared to the same period in 2022.

The actual number of packages, according to the report, ranged from a high of 4,157 packages in one day, to a low of 57 throughout November 2023. The number of packages peaked during the first week of December 2023, with over 27,000 packages.

The OIG's findings stated that the Bemidji Post Office was not adequately prepared for the influx of packages and that USPS district management had not effectively communicated with the office about the expected volume or the resources it would require to deliver both the packages and regular mail.

The increase also came while the Bemidji office was short-staffed, with the report finding that it was short six carriers starting in October and with the number increasing to 10 in December.

Along with the findings of the conditions at the Bemidji Post Office, the OIG also found that USPS management was not following "standard operating procedures for mail processing" at the location.

This includes inaccurate reporting of delayed mail and inadequate training provided to local management regarding mail processing. The Bemidji Post Office is unique, according to the report, in that it operates as a delivery unit but with some mail processing responsibilities.

In the USPS response to this report, management agreed with the first finding of a significant increase in package volume but maintained that the situation in Bemidji was not reflective of its established practices.

It disagreed with the second finding that the Bemidji Post Office was not sufficiently prepared for the increase in package volume.

The OIG provided five recommendations as a result of its investigation.

1. That the district manager develops and executes a plan to verify all delayed mail volume is entered into the proper system for the Bemidji Post Office.

2. That USPS management obtains and considers district and local management input on their ability to deliver all mail when assessing opportunities for new projected drop shipment package volume.

3. That USPS management develop and implement procedures to promptly communicate to district and local management any expected new drop shipment mail volumes and start dates for large shippers.

4. That the district manager coordinates with USPS headquarters and human resources personnel to identify and implement additional strategies to fill carrier vacancies at the Bemidji Post Office.

5. That USPS management provides mail processing training that includes proper mail staging processes, managing critical mail entry and clearance times, scheduling extra trucks, staffing policies, and reporting delayed mail for all district and local managers who are responsible for mail processing operations in a delivery unit.

The USPS response agreed with three of the five recommendations and is creating plans to implement them. It disagreed with Recommendations 2 and 3, citing established processes to determine the feasibility of increased package volume and to communicate volume expectations with local management.

Four of the recommendations remain open, as negotiations continue between the OIG and USPS regarding implementation and agreement. The fourth recommendation to implement a plan to hire more carriers has been closed.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar released a statement in response to the

report on Tuesday morning.

"Families in Bemidji and the surrounding communities rely on the Postal Service every day for everything from their prescriptions to paychecks, but I received troubling reports about significant delays and issues with local mail delivery," Klobuchar said. "That is why I called for an investigation and for solutions."

Klobuchar previously called on Postmaster General DeJoy to address staffing shortages and mail delays at the Bemidji Post Office in

November 2023.

Senators Klobuchar and Smith then requested an

audit of the USPS's Minnesota-North Dakota District

operations in

December.

"The results of this audit are very concerning and the Postal Service must work to implement the Inspector General's recommendations to improve operations and provide northern Minnesota post offices with the resources they need to serve their customers," she left off. "Minnesotans deserve to have a reliable and responsive Postal Service."