The Causes of the Problem and Postal Service Actions

Mail service in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area is poor for a number of reasons, including (1) the Postal Service’s inability to effectively deal with the unexpected growth in mail volume, (2) mail handling process problems, and (3) labor-management problems. The Postal Service has taken action to address, at least in part, each of these problems. Overnight service areas that are too large: Consistent overnight delivery service in some parts of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area is difficult to achieve because some service areas may be too large for the current collection, transportation, and delivery network. The Postal Service agreed with our conclusion that improving labor-management relations is a key element in any long-term solution to mail service problems. Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our objectives were to (1) document the recent history of on-time mail delivery service problems for overnight First-Class Mail in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area; (2) determine the reasons why mail service was below the desired level; and (3) identify any Postal Service actions to improve service. In addition, the EOS index suggested that Washington, D.C., area employee attitudes about postal management ranked among the lowest in the country. Long-term improvements require substantive improvements in labor-management relations.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed mail delivery service in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, focusing on the: (1) recent on-time delivery service problems for overnight first-class mail; (2) reasons why mail service is below the desired level; and (3) United States Postal Service's (USPS) actions to improve service in the area.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) mail service in the Washington, D.C. area has declined in part due to an unexpected increase in mail volume; (2) labor-management relations in the Washington, D.C. area are among the worst in the country; (3) customer satisfaction in the area declined dramatically in 1994 because local units were unable to maintain mail service at previous levels due to employee shortages, poor labor-management relations, and the recent organizational change; (4) USPS has taken action to address unnecessary duplicate mail handling; (5) postal managers believe that metropolitan overnight delivery areas are too large for the current delivery network; and (6) USPS agreed with the conclusion that the key element in improving mail service is to improve labor-management relations.