Bend mail update: USPS catch-up efforts include every-other-day deliveries, ‘borrowing’ workers from other post offices

(Update: More reports of no mail for days; 'mail is current,' agency rep insists)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Amid more reports of slow or no mail deliveries for several days in Bend’s 97702 ZIP code, the U.S. Postal Service outlined other steps Tuesday it takes to keep up with the pre-election volume, including deliveries every other day on some routes and bringing in staff from other post offices.

“Recently, some mail routes out of Bend may have been rotated – delivered every other day – as USPS staff from neighboring offices are providing temporary auxiliary staffing assistance,” said Kim Frum, the USPS strategic communications specialist for four Northwest states.

“However, current data for the Bend community confirms all routes have had delivery through the weekend and up to today, and mail is current,” Frum said.

She said the steps managers can take to get mail delivered is to “’borrow’ employees from other offices to help as needed, whether that’s in the office or delivering routes.”

 "Managers have many options available to them when it comes to making sure mail is delivered," Frum explained. "It’s no secret there are staffing challenges not just in Bend but at Post Offices throughout the state. Postal management will exercise the use of all their available options as needed to make sure mail delivered. 

"One of the tools that can be used to help with mail delivery ... is what is known as rotating routes (mail delivery every other day). This means one route is carried one day and another route is carried the next day, and so on rotating through all the routes. This method ensures equal mail delivery coverage for customers. 

"Bringing in volunteers from other offices is also another option," she continued, in response to NewsChannel 21 questions. "The volunteers aren’t necessarily from the next town over. Because they’re volunteering, they could be from offices farther away, including neighboring states. I believe in this instance they are from local offices."

"Because these temporary measures, along with others, are used on an as-needed basis, there isn’t a measurement for how typical or not they are used," Frum said.

Sunday story:

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – After several Bend-area residents contacted NewsChannel 21 about not receiving any mail for the past three days – including their much-awaited ballots - the U.S. Postal Service told us that Bend post office workers were out delivering mail on Sunday in a bid to catch up on their election-related and other workload.

Two people who contacted NewsChannel 21 on Sunday said they (and in one case at least eight neighbors) had not received any mail for the past three days. One lives just east of Bend on Obsidian Avenue, near Ward Road, and the other in the River Rim neighborhood in southwest Bend, near Elk Meadow Elementary School.

Another person who contacted us on Facebook asked us to look into "why there was no mail delivery to much of (the) 97702 ZIP Code either Friday or Saturday? We have folks awaiting ballots, checks, RX meds."

A resident of Woodside Ranch in southern Bend said they received no mail Thursday or Friday, and found "quite a few Bend residents are in the same boat." But they later told us they did receive mail Saturday evening, including their ballots.

Kim Frum, the USPS regional strategic communications specialist, told NewsChannel 21 on Sunday, "Thanks to the skilled management and employees at the Bend Post Office, first-class mail delivery is current as of today."

"Post Office managers use every available resource at their disposal to make sure mail is delivered to our customers, including but not limited to rotating routes (as needed), assigning employees to augment routes, or delivering mail on Sundays — like today — as needed to match the workload," Frum added. 

"The U.S. Postal Service is committed to the secure, timely delivery of the nation’s Election Mail," she said. "For more information on how the Postal Service will process and deliver election mail, including the use of extraordinary measures, please see the August news release and additional details including videos for customers was published Oct. 17."

Asked for more details about the complaints and actions taken, Frum explained: "Management uses the resources they have available to make sure customers receive mail as expected. Occasionally, that may involve Sunday delivery, or other options as needed.

"Because Monday was a federal holiday, there was no mail delivery," Frum said. "However, it's important to know not every address receives mail on a daily basis, and not receiving mail doesn’t mean a customer’s mail is delayed or missing."

"We understand our customers depend on our service, and we are working hard to meet their needs," she said. "Customers who have questions about their mail should visit their Post Office and speak with the staff on duty."

Like many businesses in both the private and public sectors, staff shortages have become a fact of life. For a time, the Bend post office held weekly job fairs this year, in a bid to recruit more workers.

"The most recent job fair was held on Thursday, Oct. 3 and it’s expected there will be even more events planned in the coming months. Details will be shared as soon as they becomes available," Frum said. "Information can also be found 24/7 on our career page usps.com/careers. There are currently open carrier positions for Bend posted on the career page, and job announcements are used to fill multiple openings."