Investigation finds recent absenteeism at postal centers, including Baltimore, ahead of holidays

BALTIMORE - The holiday season is almost here -- and that means the post office faces huge pressure to get those extra packages out on time. 

They're going on a hiring spree to avoid a repeat of the disruptions we all experienced at the height of the pandemic. 

But some lawmakers are questioning whether it'll be enough. 

At her clothing business in Los Angeles, "Bo" Anuluoha says holiday mail deliveries help keep her store afloat.

((NAT – Bo Anuluoha, Co-Owner Of Kutula By Africana)

"If I don't have timely delivery, it impacts my business because my staff is working harder, my staff is working longer hours and then myself as well," said Anuluoha, co-owner of Kutula By Africana.

The US Postal Service says it's adding more package processing machines and is trying to hire approximately 28,000 seasonal workers to prevent a holiday crush and delays.

Testifying before a Congressional panel, a representative of managers and postmasters warn hiring won't be easy.

They say recruitment efforts are already sluggish nationwide, including in California, New England and the Midwest in a very tight labor market.

 "Postmasters that are short-staffed in many areas of the country are personally delivering on some mail routes to fulfill the mission," said Edmund Carley, from United Postmasters and Managers of America. "In some regions, advertised vacancies get no applicants"

A new Congressional investigation also found recent absenteeism problems at postal centers in Chicago, Philadelphia and Baltimore, exacerbating worker shortages.

"It slows down everything and then affects obvious reliability for customers," Rep. Gerry Connolly, from Virginia. "We need to make sure that the Postal Service is reliable and that people are on deck doing the jobs."

Anuluoha is encouraging her customers to shop early.

"We're starting to take our requests for packages for Christmas delivery," Anuluoha said. "We don't want to wait and see. So, we want to be proactive and guarantee those pieces to get there well before the time that they're needed.

Postal worker representatives say the end result could be after-dark, even night-time deliveries between now and then, and the possibility of long lines as workers try to unearth themselves from all the envelopes and boxes.

In the meantime, here are the recommended deadlines for holiday deliveries:  First-class mail -- send it by Dec. 17. Priority parcels by Dec. 19, and express mail by Dec. 23.

But as always, try not to cut it too close.