WEST LEBANON — Last week, Tim and Diana Cox — who live in the Wyeth Road neighborhood — visited the West Lebanon post office looking for their missing mail and some answers.
Deliveries for the Coxes have been irregular, with multiple-day or week-long periods where they receive no mail, Tim Cox said outside the post office last Wednesday. When mail does arrive, their box is packed full, with, at one point, a plastic bag hanging off it holding even more mail.
Diana Cox receives all her medication through the mail. While her most recent supply came in, she will need another in a couple weeks. The couple worries that it won’t be delivered. With a trip to Ireland planned for the end of March, Diana Cox is depending on its arrival before then, but has no way to know if that will happen.
What Tim Cox considers most concerning, is the lack of communication, he said. “They have no capacity to notify people on the route that there may be a delay?”
The Coxes are among those who were filing in and out of the West Lebanon and White River Junction post offices last week in search of mail that had yet to arrive to their residences. While some are missing letters, magazines and product orders, others like Diana Cox are struggling with delays of more time-sensitive items, such as medicine, bills and checks.
The Coxes have dealt with somewhat inconsistent mail delivery for a year, though the past two weeks were particularly bad, they said. While the timeline and severity of the issue may depend on specific factors at local post offices, several Upper Valley residents have expressed feeling like these delays are worse than they’ve ever been.
Gil Davis — who lives in a neighborhood near the Citgo gas station located at 1038 North Main Street in White River Junction — said he experiences mail delays all the time, which brought him to the post office on Thursday.
Davis reported having not received mail in almost a week, including time-sensitive bills. Having lived in the same home for 66 years, he said that he used to have the “best mail delivery there was.” Now, he is struggling to locate his mail.
“I’ve never had a delinquent bill in all the time I’ve been doing it, and I’ve had three already,” said Davis.
Short on staffing
The increasing trend of online ordering and prolonged United States Postal Service, or USPS, hiring process are two factors of the problem, Canaan postal carrier Phil Trembley said.
With regard to reported mail delays across the Upper Valley, the process is delicate, and can be thrown off by anything, including just one person out sick. Specifically, Trembley pointed to staffing issues, poor weather and holidays. Beyond those reasons, the volume of packages is constantly rising with the uptick in online ordering.
“Every employee in the postal service, or at least on the delivery side of things, is stretched pretty thin,” said Trembley.
The West Lebanon and White River Junction post offices are both experiencing employee availability issues, Paul Smith, a USPS spokesperson, said last Wednesday by email. He added that they conduct job fairs in the Upper Valley to onboard new employees.
USPS hosts virtual job fairs on Wednesdays and Fridays for interested New Hampshire residents and Vermont residents every week until the end of February, but people can apply on the website at any time.
The pay is good, according to Trembley. Wages are determined based on the time it takes to complete the route, and prior experience. There are different levels for part-time hourly staff, but the starting pay can be about $21 per hour, Trembley said.
Trembley considers postal carrying an excellent opportunity for younger people. In the role, they are likely guaranteed hours and will have opportunities for advancement.
The root of the staffing issues is not necessarily related to the pay or expectations of the job. Instead, Trembley believes many people who apply end up dropping out because the hiring process takes too long.
USPS workers are federal employees, meaning the application is extensive. Once accepted, applicants need to take a pass/fail exam and wait on background checks, fingerprinting and reference checks, said Trembley. In his case, he applied early in September and did not begin orientation and training until November.
“We try to onboard individuals immediately after doing our due diligence,” Smith said.
Trembley was trained in the busiest season of the year, characterized by cold, snow and little daylight.
The Canaan post office has three rural routes, with three full-time carriers, he said. Trembley was hired for a part-time flexible role, meaning he takes over for all three carriers each week so that they work five days a week instead of six, Monday through Saturday.
For this reason, Trembley had to learn all three routes. In general, if a part-time carrier cannot cover a full-time carrier, they typically work all six days, he said. Trembley has access to full-time hours, working 40 hours per week or more, even if it’s just assisting on a heavy package day.
Approximately 1,000 packages arrive at the Canaan post office per a day, with up to 2,000 during the Christmas season, said Trembley. Carriers do their best to move quickly to avoid working into the evening.
“There’s a lot of sorting that goes on in the morning, very rapid fire. It’s very fast paced, because essentially, you want to get out there,” said Trembley.
Flummoxed customers
West Lebanon resident Sue Shykula learned from her development that the post office has no alternate carrier when the route’s regular carrier is sick, on vacation or out for any other reason, she said Thursday. With this carrier recently ill, Shykula received no mail for four or five days.
“Ever since the pandemic, I don’t know where everybody went,” said Shykula.
Mikel Cooper, of Hartland, has also been experiencing mail delays, he said Thursday. Due to what he described as a mailbox installation issue, Cooper has to drive several miles to White River Junction for mail. He has no idea when time-sensitive mail will make it there, so he feels his only option is to keep driving over and checking in.
Last week, Cooper went to the White River Junction post office for the SNAP benefits he filed for on Jan. 29. They have yet to arrive.
“It’ll be the third time coming looking for my card I can actually get food with. I’ve been on a diet, but not the kind of diet I want to be on,” said Cooper.
With regard to concerns related to items such as medication and bills, Trembley said the post office does prioritize them. In Canaan, the postmaster notes medications and other important items and informs the carrier to ensure delivery that day. Customers may also call to say they are expecting a very important package.
Last Tuesday was the busiest day Trembley has experienced at the post office, due to Valentine’s Day deliveries coupled with Monday off for President’s Day. He said none of the carriers could finish. Mondays are generally heavy, and all of those deliveries spilled over into Tuesday.
Trembley can sometimes depart with a full truck and still not have everything, meaning he has to go back and refill it. He described the job as mentally and physically demanding at times. But when people select two-day shipping on their Amazon orders, they expect those packages to arrive on schedule.
Carriers across the Upper Valley work to get everything out, despite tricky circumstances. In general, packages take priority over paper mail, Trembley said.
“In the consumer-driven economy that we’re in now, it’s really all about packages. That’s what the consumers care about. That’s what the post-office cares about,” said Trembley.
In a snow storm or when resources are limited, carriers can be instructed by the postmaster to only deliver packages. On average, each carrier handles about 300 packages at the Canaan office a day, he said.
Getting everything out is not always physically possible, Trembley said. But holding off on mail for multiple days piles it up and there is no such thing as a slow day to catch up.
While Trembley understands the importance of this job, he asks that people be conscious of resources involved in getting a single package delivered, as it passes through all kinds of machines and hands.
“There are actual human beings behind this business that are working their tails off every day … In the dead of winter, we get there before the sun even comes up, and we leave when the sun is already down.”
Those interested in working for USPS can apply on the website. People can also sign up for informed delivery, which provides photos of anticipated mail ahead of arrival.