ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - In a KMOX exclusive, our Maria Keena has been talking for weeks with St. Louisans who want to know why they are not receiving mail from the United State Postal Service, frequently for several days in a row.
"Neither snow nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"
That USPS motto is being tested everyday and it appears there are many days when the mail doesn't go out, but not because of the fault of letter carriers.
First KMOX sent emails to the Postal Service in St. Louis, we still are waiting for a response on that.
Then, National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 43 Shop Steward and letter carrier at the Southwest Station Nate Markovich talked only with KMOX about why people are not receiving their mail.
It's not because of a letter carrier shortage, though because of dramatic changes being made, men and women who made a career in the USPS, are now having second thoughts.
Markovich tells KMOX in the 63109 and 63139 zip codes, thirteen mail routes have been eliminated, but it's not limited to those areas. Mail routes have been eliminated in West County, Affton, McKenzie Pointe and Maryville Gardens with more to come.
So what are the local post office supervisors doing?
KMOX News also spokes with Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski who says the issue is so bad, she held a roundtable Monday.
Budzinski says there is bi-partisan concern to move "the United States Postal Service away from its current government structure which is an an independent entity not under any specific agency or department with in the federal government".
Budzinski says there are rumors that a presidential executive order may be issued and that U-S-P-S may be moved under the Commerce Department and she says that should be viewed as privatization.
Budzinski adds over the last seven years, the on-time mail delivery rate for three to five day mail has dropped from 93 percent to 59 percent. The Congresswoman says a lot of this is a direct result of previous Post Master General Dejoy's decision to restructure the USPS, specifically on distribution centers.
There are two Illinois distribution centers, Champaign and Springfield. Champaign was slated for closure, but has been removed from the list, but Budzinski is continuing to fight to make sure Springfield is not closed, that would mean all of the mail for central and and southern Illinois would have to be routed through St. Louis and that spells more delays.
Last week, KMOX left yet another message for someone from the United Postal Service to call us to talk about all these problems, we were told someone would get back with us in three to four days, it's not been over a week.