An Explanation For Elmhurst's Lack Of Mail

ELMHURST, IL — For months, Patch has received little beyond talking points about why mail goes undelivered for days at a time in Elmhurst and other suburbs. The Elmhurst city government recently had more success.

On Monday, Mayor Scott Levin told the City Council that the city contacted the office of U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Chicago, for answers on delivery problems. The congressman got information from the U.S. Postal Service.

One of the main reasons for the problem is the lack of employees. Since May 1, only two-thirds of postal employees have been showing up for work, the city said. This is because of a federal employee leave law during the pandemic. It gives federal employees up to 15 weeks of paid leave for a variety of pandemic-related reasons.

"In a sense, what they're saying is that under these collective bargaining agreements and these (laws), people are taking time off and they don't have anyone in there who is able to fill the gap," Levin said. "Congressman Quigley's office assured us that they're continuing to monitor this. We are making our concerns as a city known. The mail is not being delivered. All of us have experienced delays."

Through Quigley's office, the post office also said it has contended with increasing package volumes while also seeing equally dramatic declines in letter mail.

The post office's problems, Levin said, have affected towns throughout the Chicago area.

Alderman Mark Mulliner suggested the post office let people know ahead of time when they will get delivery.

"It's not a solution for the long-term, but it may be a short-term solution, so at least people know that they're going to get mail Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, rather than 'I don't know if I'm ever going to get my mail.'"

Mulliner said he understood Quigley had little say in the post office, but the alderman said his suggestion could alleviate the problem.

In late June, Postal Service spokesman Timothy Norman gave few details to Patch about Elmhurst's situation.

"This location has experienced staff shortages and is continuing to use available resources to match the workload, including bringing in extra resources to assist," he said. "We appreciate the patience of our customers and the efforts of employees."