COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Residents in College Station have been waiting in longer lines than usual when they head to the post office.
Some have even noticed only one attendant working behind the counter during times of the day when most customers are in the building.
Ivan Butts, President of the National Association of Postal Supervisors says that the retention of postal employees has been declining for the last few years.
“We’ve had a lot of issues with employee retention. Our workforce is made up of non-career employees mostly coming in now.”
Butts also mentions that a factor hindering retention in College Station is also mail carriers having to drive to Bryan to deliver mail to College Station neighborhoods.
Extra drive time could cause fatigue in employees which could make them want to look for another job.
“Not only are you traveling to the local town but you’re also traveling on the highway,” said Butts. “Those kinds of variables raised concerns and I think we are hearing that from local communities too.”
USPS sent a statement to KBTX about staffing issues in College Station and say the move to the Bryan facility is not the reason for low staffing numbers.
“The Postal Service appreciates its customers and always strives to provide the best possible service. We apologize for any inconvenience that may have been experienced by customers living in the College Station, TX, area. There is no connection between staffing issues and the new Bryan facility. However, local management will continue to work with customers to ensure every effort is being made to meet or exceed their expectations.”
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