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The U.S. Postal Service will begin slowing deliveries on Friday, as part of Postmaster Louis DeJoy’s 10-year plan to cut costs.
Nearly four in ten first-class mail packages will be affected by the new standard changes, which will add an additional day or two to delivery time depending on distance, according to the USPS.
First-class one-piece mail traveling to local areas – within a three-hour drive – will continue to be delivered within two days, the USPS said in its change of service announcement.
Additionally, packages traveling with standard first class three-day delivery could take up to five days, especially in more rural areas of the country where the courier takes longer to reach.
“The changes in service standards are part of our balanced and comprehensive Delivering for America strategic plan and will improve reliability and predictability of service for customers and improve the efficiency of the postal service network,” USPS said in a statement.
“The changes to service standards that we have decided to implement are a necessary step in reaching our goal of consistently achieving 95% service performance. “
The hardest-hit states will be west of California or Nevada, but Florida will also be hit, according to a Washington Post analysis of delivery changes this year.
Experts say the change could have a major impact on people with disabilities and the elderly, and could also lead to potential financial burdens in late fees if some bills are not paid on time.
The USPS has provided the following table for new estimated delivery times based on distance:
| Delivery standard | Distance traveled | Time of transport |
| One day | Pre-sorted local mail | – |
| 2 days | 139 miles | 3 hours |
| 3 days | 140-930 miles | 3-20 hours |
| 4 days | 931-1,907 miles | 20-41 hours |
| 5 days | 1,908 miles + | More than 41 hours |
In March, the Postal Service presented a proposed 10-year strategic plan that would slow current first-class delivery standards and raise some prices to stem $ 160 billion in debt expected over the next decade, which includes consolidation. nearly 20 mail processing facilities across the country.
Ronald Stroman, one of President Biden’s three new members of the Postal Service’s Board of Governors, called the plan “strategically ill-conceived” in August, according to a report. Another new member, Anton Hajjar, worried about a proposed plan to end air mail delivery, saying the potential savings were not “quantified”.
On Friday, 40 members of Congress signed a bipartisan letter demanding responses to the USPS decision to consolidate 18 of its mail processing facilities.
“We believe that at a minimum, these bindings should be suspended until further information on the rationale and impact is made public,” the letter said.
“We are concerned that the consolidation of facilities during the ongoing public health emergency, which continues to impact staff availability, could lead to further delays in service and an erosion of public confidence in the service. one of the most important institutions in our country. ”
Lawmakers also criticized the negative impact the consolidations could have on hundreds of USPS employees who could be forced to relocate.
USPS says it hopes these changes will improve the reliability and consistency of delivery, even as the delivery time slows down.
“The Postal Service has shown consistent improvements in all categories of first class mail, marketing and periodic mail over the past seven months,” a USPS spokeswoman said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch.
“We have worked tirelessly to overcome the challenges of the recent storms and continue to recruit thousands of employees for the upcoming peak holiday season. “
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