Community Members Raise Concerns About Well-Being of Staff
By JENNIKA INGRAM | Reporter
As community members share mail delivery frustrations and concerns over the well-being of mail carriers, the Pacific Palisades Post Office “was just approved for three additional city carrier assistants,” Evelina Ramirez, a USPS corporate communications spokesperson, shared with the Palisadian-Post.
This news comes at the heels of the Riviera Estates Association annual meeting on December 2, when members found themselves discussing the Palisades Post Office and its perceived lack of manpower, according to a participant.
“They need more bodies in there, in my opinion,” said Susan Kelley, a Riviera resident, to the Post.
Since the fall, Nancy Brown has been the acting postmaster at the Palisades Post Office with 22 years of postal experience behind her. Brown became acting postmaster while Uco Johnson, originally hired in late 2018 is on another assignment, according to Ramirez.
Residents are concerned with the large number of postal errors occurring on a regular basis and the well-being of the post office staff, Kelley shared.
“The number of employees at each office is based on volume,” Ramirez responded in an email to the Post. “The Pacific Palisades Post Office has five clerks, 28 carriers, two supervisors and a postmaster.” Plus, the new assistant carriers that will join the team.
Kelley reported that she has gone outside of her Palisades home at 7:15 p.m. to collect her mail, only to find it still hasn’t arrived. When she returns early morning, she will find the mail, leaving her wondering about the safety of postal carriers working late in the evening.
“The Postal Service takes great pride in safely delivering mail to every address in America,” Ramirez responded. “While the goal is to finalize mail delivery during daylight hours, variables such a seasonally shorter days, weather, unscheduled absences, high volumes or a new employee on a route may affect delivery times.
“Darkness, in and off itself, is not unsafe, and all employees understand it is their responsibility to work safely and to report any unsafe conditions to their supervisors.”
Kelley will also find herself with five pieces of mail that’s addressed to her neighbor.
Kelley doesn’t blame the mail carrier: She said she blames the post office for being understaffed and not having enough time to sort the mail properly.
“There is a lack of manpower in the post office and in the mail carrier arena,” Kelley said prior to Ramirez’s response. “The morale is non-existent.”
One of the ideas that emerged at the Riviera meeting was for the residents to band together and write a letter to be signed by Palisadians.
Ramirez said that one new carrier assistant began working on Saturday, December 7. The start date for the additional two has not yet been determined.
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