The Durango post office is understaffed and hiring.
That’s not news to the dozens of Durango area residents who have taken to social media to lament the irregular and generally lackluster mail service.
“I haven’t received any of my mail in a week,” one Durango resident wrote on the social networking site Nextdoor.
“Today I got mail for the first time in 1½ weeks,” another commented.
Residents complain of packages with tracking information showing they are out for delivery for days at a time; bills never arrive; and the Mountain Trace HOA informed residents of the townhomes northeast of Durango that mail would be delivered there only once per week, according to a notice reviewed by The Durango Herald.
“We’ve been behind the eight ball with hiring for quite some time,” acknowledged U.S. Postal Service spokesman James Boxrud.
It’s not a new problem. Colorado’s lawmakers have been aware of it for some time. But the problem is drawn into high relief around the holidays as the USPS enters its busiest period.
“We know we have not met service expectations of the community and are working hard to restore the respect of the public,” Boxrud wrote in an email to the Herald. “For many months, we have been aggressively seeking both clerks and carriers to stabilize our workforce.”
The Durango office is looking to hire eight mail carriers and about a dozen rural carrier associates who provide day-off relief.
Positions have an hourly starting salary range of $19.33 to $20.38. This is one challenge for the service, Boxrud said. Carrier salaries are negotiated on a national scale with a union.
“Somebody in Manhattan, Kansas, makes the same as they do in Manhattan, New York,” he said.
Being a federal agency, the ability to offer incentives such as signing bonuses is limited.
The Colorado Springs post office is generally well staffed due to the presence of military bases and the continuity of federal benefits between agencies. Boxrud said the USPS can often tempt employees in well-staffed areas, such as Colorado Springs, to serve short stints in the Durango post office. There were five borrowed employees from around Colorado working in Durango in early December, and the office was hoping to bring in five more.
The agency holds a hiring fair about every six weeks at the Durango post office in an attempt to fill vacant positions.
“These are great jobs that can quickly lead to career opportunities with full benefits, including paid annual and sick leave, holiday pay, health care, retirement, and other benefits,” Boxrud wrote.
To find open jobs with the USPS, visit usps.com/careers.
In the meantime, some agency staff are urging the public to be patient, and shop locally for the holidays.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
