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MAINE…TO SEE WHAT’S IT LIKE TO SORT MAIL DURING THE BUSY HOLIDAY SEASON. <JIM INTRO-21.22.13> “WE ARE INSIDE THE SOUTHERN MAINE PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION CENTER FOR THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE. IT’S LOCATED IN SCARBOROUGH. THEY HAVE FOUR HIGH-TECH SORTING MACHINES – YOU SEE OVER THERE – AND EACH AND EVERY DAY BETWEEN THANKSGIVING AND NEW YEAR’S, THEY WILL PROCESS BETWEEN 180,000 AND 200,000 ITEMS FOR DELIVERY.” MORE THAN 500 EMPLOYEES WORKING THREE SHIFTS – 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK – SORTING PACKAGES, PARCELS, LETTERS AND CARDS. THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER IS VAST – 475,000 SQUARE FEET – THIS IS WHERE ALL OF THE MAIL COMES TO BE SORTED AND SENT OUT FOR DELIVERY. <SOT-STEVE DOHERTY/U.S. POSTAL SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST-20.57.33 TO 20.57.48 TRT :15> “AS THE POST OFFICES CLOSE OUT IN THE LOCAL TOWNS, THAT MAIL AT THE END OF THE DAY COMES IN HERE AND THAT’S KIND OF OUR BUSIEST TIME PROBABLY FROM AROUND 6, 7 O’CLOCK IN THE EVENING RIGHT UP UNTIL 6 O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING WHEN EVERYTHING IS GETTING SHIPPED OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY.” LATELY THERE HAVE BEEN COMPLAINTS ROLLING IN FROM CITIES AND TOWNS ACROSS THE STATE FROM CUSTOMERS WHO SAY THEIR MAIL HAS BEEN SLOW TO COME OR HASN’T COME AT ALL. DOHERTY SAYS IT’S NO SECRET THEY ARE DEALING WITH A MAJOR STAFFING SHORTAGE. <SOT-STEVE DOHERTY/U.S. POSTAL SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST-21.02.19+> “THEY’RE ACTUALLY BRINGING IN PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT, PUTTING THEM UP IN HOTELS, CARRIERS, SO THEY CAN JUMP IN AND MAKE SURE THE MAIL IS BEING ROTATED.” DESPITE AN AGGRESSIVE RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN, DOHERTY SAYS JOB CANDIDATES CAN BE CHOOSEY IN THIS MARKET. <SOT-STEVE DOHERTY/U.S. POSTAL SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST-21.03.29> “IT IS A DIFFICULT HIRING ENVIRONMENT RIGHT NOW AND THE JOB ISN’T FOR EVERYONE. I MEAN LETTER CARRIERS AS YOU KNOW ARE OUT IN EVERY KIND OF WEATHER – YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN – IT’S A LONG DAY BUT IT’S A CAREER THAT HAS GOOD BENEFITS. IT HAS A COMPETITIVE SALARY.” WE ASKED HOW MUCH CAN AN ENTRY LEVEL POSTAL WORKER EXPECT TO EARN? <SOT-STEVE DOHERTY/U.S. POSTAL SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST-21.04.31> “WE HAVE JOBS THAT START AROUND $22 AN HOUR. BUT AGAIN, THERE IS A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH, YOU CAN MOVE UP QUICKLY FROM THERE TOO.” <JIM TAG-21.23.45> “AND NOW FOR THE DEADLINES. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOUR PACKAGES, GET TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO FOR CHRISTMAS
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A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Americans can’t sue the U.S. Postal Service, even when employees deliberately refuse to deliver mail.Related video above: Behind-the-scenes look at Maine’s largest USPS processing centerBy a 5-4 vote, the justices ruled against a Texas landlord, Lebene Konan, who alleges her mail was intentionally withheld for two years. Konan, who is Black, claims racial prejudice played a role in postal employees’ actions.Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for a majority of five conservative justices, said the federal law that generally shields the Postal Service from lawsuits over missing, lost and undelivered mail includes “the intentional nondelivery of mail.”In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that while the protection against lawsuits is broad, it does not extend to situations when the decision not to deliver mail “was driven by malicious reasons.” Justice Neil Gorsuch joined his three liberal colleagues in dissent.President Donald Trump’s Republican administration had warned that a ruling for Konan would have led to a flood of similar lawsuits against the cash-strapped Postal Service.Konan, who’s also a real estate agent and an insurance agent, claims two employees at a post office in Euless, Texas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, deliberately didn’t deliver mail belonging to her and her tenants because, she alleges, they didn’t like that she is Black and owns multiple properties.According to court documents, the dispute began when Konan discovered the mailbox key for one of her rental properties had been changed without her knowledge, preventing her from collecting and distributing tenants’ mail from the box. When she contacted the local post office, she was told she wouldn’t receive a new key or regular delivery until she proved she owned the property. She did so, the documents say, but the mail problems continued, despite the USPS inspector general instructing the mail to be delivered.Konan alleges the employees marked some of the mail as undeliverable or return to sender. Konan and her tenants failed to receive important mail such as bills, medications and car titles, according to the lawsuit. Konan also claims she lost rental income because some tenants moved out due to the situation.After filing dozens of complaints with postal officials, Konan finally filed a lawsuit under the 1946 Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows some lawsuits against the government. The case focused on the reach of the special postal exemption to the law.
A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Americans can’t sue the U.S. Postal Service, even when employees deliberately refuse to deliver mail.
Related video above: Behind-the-scenes look at Maine’s largest USPS processing center
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By a 5-4 vote, the justices ruled against a Texas landlord, Lebene Konan, who alleges her mail was intentionally withheld for two years. Konan, who is Black, claims racial prejudice played a role in postal employees’ actions.
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for a majority of five conservative justices, said the federal law that generally shields the Postal Service from lawsuits over missing, lost and undelivered mail includes “the intentional nondelivery of mail.”
In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that while the protection against lawsuits is broad, it does not extend to situations when the decision not to deliver mail “was driven by malicious reasons.” Justice Neil Gorsuch joined his three liberal colleagues in dissent.
President Donald Trump’s Republican administration had warned that a ruling for Konan would have led to a flood of similar lawsuits against the cash-strapped Postal Service.
Konan, who’s also a real estate agent and an insurance agent, claims two employees at a post office in Euless, Texas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, deliberately didn’t deliver mail belonging to her and her tenants because, she alleges, they didn’t like that she is Black and owns multiple properties.
According to court documents, the dispute began when Konan discovered the mailbox key for one of her rental properties had been changed without her knowledge, preventing her from collecting and distributing tenants’ mail from the box. When she contacted the local post office, she was told she wouldn’t receive a new key or regular delivery until she proved she owned the property. She did so, the documents say, but the mail problems continued, despite the USPS inspector general instructing the mail to be delivered.
Konan alleges the employees marked some of the mail as undeliverable or return to sender. Konan and her tenants failed to receive important mail such as bills, medications and car titles, according to the lawsuit. Konan also claims she lost rental income because some tenants moved out due to the situation.
After filing dozens of complaints with postal officials, Konan finally filed a lawsuit under the 1946 Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows some lawsuits against the government. The case focused on the reach of the special postal exemption to the law.
