CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A Southwest Side alderman said he’s not getting satisfactory answers after learning that one of the post offices in his ward shut down for lunch last week.
19th Ward Ald. Matt O’Shea said there have problems with mail service in Beverly, Morgan Park, and Mt. Greenwood for years, but that it's only become worse during the coronavirus pandemic.
He said last week at the Mt. Greenwood Post Office on 111th and Homan, customers who showed up at least one day during the noon hour found a sign on the door saying, "Closed For Lunch". Ald. O'Shea said that when complaints were made, "The Postmaster General said, 'oh, we don’t close our post offices for lunch.' Well, they did."
The alderman said residents don't usually have problems with mail carriers themselves even when they don't get their mail for days or weeks at a time. He said it's people who work in the post office who often treat people rudely or are dismissive of customers.
"In our community, the poor service from those working behind the desk—and I get it—they’re under a tremendous amount of stress, but we’re all under a tremendous amount of stress and it’s not that hard to be kind," he said.
RELATED: Pelosi Calls House Back Into Session To Vote On Postal Bill | Postal Service Warns States Across US About Mail Voting
Ald. O’Shea, like others, is also concerned about the election as, he said, more than 5,000 of his residents plan to vote by mail.
Ald. O’Shea said he’s working with Cong. Dan Lipinski and Senator Dick Durbin to try to improve the situation, but he said, realistically, nothing will happen until the postal service is given better funding and more mail carriers are hired.