Mail Processing Machines Disassembled In Philly: Union President

PHILADELPHIA — As many Americans make plans to vote by mail in the general election, United States Postal Service mail sorting machines around the country have been dismantled and several in Philadelphia were among those taken apart.

Nick Casselli, president of American Postal Workers Local 89, told Patch Wednesday that eight mail processing machines at the Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center in Southwest Philadelphia.

Casselli said that is the largest mail processing center in the nation, serving the Philadelphia region as well as parts of New Jersey and Delaware.

Each machine can process 100,000 pieces of mail in eight hours, and the facility runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to Casselli.

"They are being taken apart for scrap and spare parts," Casselli said. "I'm very concerned, because they took those machines costs millions of dollar and you took that apart for what?"

He said in the past, the processing machines have been taken apart for service or to be loaned to other facilities, but they were always reassembled in a few days' time.

Casselli said the issues seen among mail delivery began when Louis DeJoy took over as Postmaster General.

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According to Casselli, the selection process for Postmaster General started with more than 200 applicants. That number was to 53 applicants and DeJoy was not among those 53 applicants.

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However, Casselli said DeJoy was included to a list of 16 finalists.

"How did he skip the middle part," Casselli asked. "He got plucked by Trump."

Casselli said DeJoy's recent congressional hearing was disheartening.

"I've been in the Post Office for 35 years," he said. "We've always gotten the mail out. Over the past 75 days, we started having issues. It all reverts back to [DeJoy]."

DeJoy recently said he will suspend newly-implemented policies within the Postal Service after the changes drew intense scrutiny due to the possibility of mail delays.

According to the USPS, DeJoy did not initiate the evaluation or removal of this equipment and gave the directive to stop the removal of additional mail processing machines through the election.