Colorado mountain post offices struggle with hiring, invest in more self-serve options
The U.S. Post Office in Dillon was recently forced to close after some of their employees called out sick. The already small staff was left with almost no help.
Similar staffing problems are plaguing many mountain post offices. Right now, Dillon's post office has two open positions, Frisco's has three, Breckenridge's has one and the Leadville post office is hoping to hire a few employees.
These shortages are all coming down to one thing: the paycheck.
"The cost of living is double what it is anywhere else and the wages don't change. You can go to Kentucky and live like a king and here it's like 'How am I going to pay the bills?'" said Michael Mendillo, Dillon's postmaster. "So it's a little rough hiring."
A pay increase is slated to happen for post office workers within the next year, but the current salaries are a constant hurdle the U.S. Postal Service faces at job fairs such as the one they are hosting on Saturday.
The workers that do take the jobs become heroes in their communities by keeping a much-needed system running when nobody else will.
"I just feel bad because the guy is in there every time," said postal service user William Marmon, who lives in Summit County. "They are super nice and super friendly and try to get you your packages but it just seems like they always have issues with just retaining staff or having enough people to do the right job."
Mendillo says they are adding more self-service options like smart lockers, and they are working on a system that would allow customers to buy stamps and ship packages at any time of day without an attendant.
He says they are also planning to bring in some workers from the Front Range to help with the upcoming holiday rush.