Chicago postal service is rebounding
The Chicago District of the U.S. Postal Service announced Wednesday that it had improved its delivery rate through reforms a few months after the U.S. postmaster slammed the city for having the worst mail delivery in the nation.
District Manager Gloria Tyson said an audit of Chicago’s mail operation by IBM Consulting Services found that 93 percent of first-class, overnight mail arrived on time between April and July, compared with 90 percent the previous quarter.
The increase was the result of the district hiring more than 240 more carriers, overhauling equipment and correcting nearly 143,000 addresses, Tyson said.
The announcement drew praise from U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill), who in May oversaw a House subcommittee hearing on the city’s mail operation that aired complaints from disgruntled customers, business leaders and lawmakers.
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill) said her office had heard from more than 120 frustrated postal customers this year.
Davis said previous managers of Chicago’s mail operation had insisted there were enough carriers, even as the union argued otherwise. He said the recent audit proved the managers had been wrong.
On an April visit to Chicago, U.S. Postmaster Gen. John E. Potter is finishing an audit of the Chicago district, which will highlight problems and suggest solutions.
