WASHINGTON D.C., DC — A 10-year strategy announced by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Tuesday could lead to longer delivery times and shorter hours for some post offices around the country.
Under the new strategy, the standard delivery window for first-class letters would increase from one-to-three days to one-to-five days, while underused post offices would be consolidated.
A possible postage rate increase could also come as part of the changes being proposed, according to the plan.
Facing an expected $160 billion in losses over the next decade, DeJoy and postal executives stressed the need to cut costs and modernize the agency’s operations as its workload increasingly shifts from handling letters to hauling more and more packages.
The announcement on Tuesday came as the United States Postal Service (USPS) continued to face criticism for widespread delays that have occurred since DeJoy took over as postmaster general last summer.
Just over half of all first-class mail arrived on time in the DMV in December last year, according to data obtained by WUSA9 from the American Postal Workers Union.
The data stretches back to January 2020 when around 91% of first-class mail arrived on time in the Northern Virginia Postal District region and 87.7% of first-class mail arrived on time in the Capital Postal District region, which includes Washington D.C. and parts of Maryland.
Performance rates began to dip around mid-July when both local postal districts saw first-class on-time delivery rates fall to the mid-80s and 70s.
By the end of December, the numbers nosedived to around 40%.
RELATED: Late arrival: Data shows around 40% of first-class mail arrived on time in DMV in late December
The delays have impacted deliveries ranging from birthday and Christmas cards to medications and credit card bills.
Following the announcement on Tuesday, the American Postal Workers Union said it supported some elements of the 10-year strategy but was also concerned about other points.
"On the plus side, this 10-year plan recognizes that the United States Postal Service’s strength resides in the people who provide the service. It calls for more career opportunities for postal workers and a greater emphasis on recruitment and retention," union president Mark Dimondstein wrote in a statement. "We also unite with management’s appeal to Congress to take the long overdue step of addressing the 2006 prefunding mandate and other measures to stabilize postal finances."
However, Dimondstein noted how some of the proposed changes could drastically impact on-time mail delivery.
"...we have deep concerns about other elements of the plan that, if implemented, would fail to meet its stated goal of providing ‘service excellence,'" he wrote. "Any proposals that would either slow the mail, reduce access to post offices, or further pursue the failed strategy of plant consolidation will need to be addressed."
The proposed changes from DeJoy were announced after President Joe Biden recently nominated three candidates for the postal board of governors, which has the power to replace the postmaster general.
The Senate still needs to consider the nominations but Dimondstein said DeJoy may have benefitted from waiting to unveil the 10-year strategic plan.
"Personally, I would have rather that they waited to issue the plan until after the new governors were confirmed," he said. "Once the new members of the board came on, I’m sure there are opportunities to help shape this plan going forward to help frame things differently.”
Many small businesses in D.C. and across the region have dealt with some of the USPS delays firsthand.
Holley Simmons, who founded She Loves Me floral design in D.C. in 2018, said the issues led to some lost business.
"We’ve seen slower shipping times from our suppliers. We’ve seen slower shipping times to our customers," she said. "We have a disclaimer now that’s like we will try to get these items to you on this date but we cannot guarantee it.”
Simmons told WUSA9 that the holiday season brought especially challenging times, with the business shipping in roses and other floral items from countries like Ecuador and China.
"Everything that goes into floral design was really difficult to get our hands-on," she said. "Inevitably, they were delayed or arrived dead and it was such a hassle."
Moving forward, as a result of the delays and shipping issues, she said she had to make changes with how her company handles orders.
"Long term, we actually hit pause on mailing anything. It became such a hassle," Simmons said. "It became really hard telling people, 'I’m so sorry. That’s not reflective of us as a business.' I hate disappointing people."
With the USPS and its current issues still facing an uncertain road ahead, Simmons hoped the problems could be fixed so other small businesses and people who depend on the mail could get better service.
"I’d be hesitant to trust the post office just yet," she said. "But it might be something we try again another time.”