Congressman urges action on the continued mail issue

Jonesboro, Arkansas – Since the Jonesboro sorting center closed its doors in 2012, mail delivery in Region 8 has experienced severe delays.

Mail can arrive at some homes’ doors up to three months after it was mailed.

“Our biggest problem is lack of accountability in first class mail,” said Congressman Rick Crawford.

Crawford is aware that residents of Region 8 are experiencing mail delays. He identified a significant element causing the issue.

“This is a pervasive problem that’s gone on for a long time. It basically coincides with the closure of the Jonesboro sorting facility,” Crawford explained.

But Crawford thinks that if employees were more proud of their work, the problems could be at least partially rectified.

“It’s not just a job that they’re doing. You touch lives in more ways than I think they realize,” he said. “I think there has to be a higher degree of commitment and customer service than what we’re seeing.”

Crawford’s suggested answer must begin at the top.

“It can be easily fixed with the leadership at that facility leaning in and saying, ‘Here’s how we’re gonna do it. You’re getting paid to do a job. We expect you to do it efficiently, with a positive attitude, and with the understanding that these mail items impact people’s lives.’”

Crawford also emphasized the ways in which residents’ lives are being impacted by these delays in different ways.

“Case after case after case of lost mail. People who’ve lost checks. People who were sending a check, and their bill wasn’t paid so they get a ding on their credit. They might get a service disruption,” he said.

Crawford reassured locals that they were aware of the problem.

“It is 99-plus percent of the casework that we deal with, relating to mail, is related to the Memphis distribution center,” he said.

Crawford thinks the issues can be alleviated in the interim by having personnel at the Memphis distribution center provide better assistance and take more initiative.

“If the postal service wants to be viewed in a favorable light, it starts by providing a high degree of customer service,” Crawford stated.

He added that conducting an impartial efficiency inquiry is one of the only methods to determine the reason behind the problems at the Memphis distribution center.