Postmaster General says improvements underway to take care of issues at Palmetto mail facility

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has responded to U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s request for an update on the issues that have been plaguing the new Palmetto mail sorting facility.

Delays and lost mail have plagued the new Palmetto sorting facility since it opened.

Postal employees even sent us video showing the matrix regional sorter, or MARS machine malfunctioning, sending mail and packages off the conveyor belt onto the floor.

Postal Service delays have turned into a largely bipartisan issue, with Georgia Democrats and Republicans in U.S. Congress pressing the postmaster for answers and solutions after months of problems.

Just a month ago, Ossoff and a bi-partisan group of Georgia lawmakers grilled DeJoy over the well-documented problems at the Palmetto facility.

At the time, DeJoy promised the problems would be corrected within the next two months.

The Postal Service announced this week that it is pausing its plans to make changes to mail delivery processes amid an ongoing review of performance issues and widespread delays in delivery.

DeJoy told members of Congress that USPS will not consolidate mail centers at nearly 60 locations until at least 2025.

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Last Wednesday, Ossoff sent DeJoy a letter demanding an update on where things stand with improving problems at the facility.

It took DeJoy until Friday to respond to Ossoff with a letter showing the improvements he said have been made here in Atlanta.

“The Postal Service is in the middle of a major new investment in our Georgia operations. Unfortunately, the initiation of the Atlanta RPDC led to a significant drop in performance, which was unanticipated,” DeJoy said in a letter to Ossoff.

DeJoy said several actions are already underway to help get the Palmetto facility operating the way it needs to be.

The postmaster general said more than 100 workers from across the Postal Service have been moved to the Palmetto facility “to identify and rectify bottlenecks, conduct quality assurance, ensure Atlanta personnel are adhering to the new procedures, and ensure the timely processing and dispatch of mail and packages.”

He also said that they will be holding twice-daily meetings, seven days a week to check on the facility’s status and “drive improvements to the region.”

DeJoy said the Postal Service will also be revising transportation schedules to improve the flow of mail volume.

The letter said the Postal Service will also be adding additional processing capacity at other local processing centers.

“I want to thank you for the opportunity to update you on our work and for your continued interest in and patience with our efforts to improve and enhance our service in Georgia and across the county,” DeJoy said, concluding his letter to Ossoff.

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