Postal workers were told not to reconnect or reinstall sorting machines even after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced he was suspending changes to the postal services, according to an internal email obtained by CNN.
“Please message out to your respective Maintenance Managers tonight,” wrote Kevin Couch, a director of maintenance operations. “They are not to reconnect/reinstall machines that have been previously disconnected without approval from HQ Maintenance, no matter what direction they are getting from their plant manager.”
DeJoy, who became postmaster general in June, has come under scrutiny for implementing a series of cost-cutting measures at the Postal Service that have led to delayed mail deliveries, including limiting overtime and removing mail-sorting machines from some facilities.
The machines are an integral part of the Postal Service’s operations, as one machine can sort 35,000 pieces of mail per hour. Yared Wonde, the president of the American Postal Workers Union’s Dallas Area Local, told CNN that her service center unsuccessfully tried to put back four delivery bar code sorter machines.
DeJoy reversed course on Tuesday on further changes to Postal Service operations, including removing sorting machines, after he faced pushback from a number of postal employees and lawmakers. He said that changes would be suspended until after the elections, in which many people are expected to vote by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CNN said it’s unclear if any developments have happened since Couch sent the email, which appeared to have been sent to managers in the western region.