August 14, 2023
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy traveled to Richmond, VA, last month to speak with employees about the state of the Postal Service.

DeJoy met with about 650 employees in several locations, including the Richmond Main Post Office and the Richmond Processing and Distribution Center.

He also swore in 10 new postmasters and spoke at a town-hall-style meeting, where he thanked employees for their hard work and touched on the progress the organization has made under the Delivering for America plan.

As he noted, when he joined USPS in 2020, the organization was facing high employee turnover, budget shortfalls, deteriorating infrastructure and declining market share.

“I came in with the attitude that we have to compete,” DeJoy said. “That’s the law. We have to deliver mail and packages and cover our costs.”

Accomplishments under the Delivering for America plan include the introduction of USPS Ground Advantage, the Postal Service Reform Act, new sorting and delivery centers, and an integrated mail and package network — all of which have given the Postal Service a leg up in a competitive marketplace, according to DeJoy.

The town hall was the first opportunity for many employees to hear DeJoy speak in person, including Christine Bryant, who works at the Richmond Processing and Distribution Center.

“I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him speak,” said Bryant, a tech lead on the next-generation delivery vehicle program. “As an employee, hearing things from his perspective really helps me to understand the vision.”

While DeJoy expressed pride in employees and optimism about the organization’s progress, he stressed that there is still more to do to modernize USPS and make it sustainable.

“It is a busy place right now, the United States Postal Service,” he said. “Every part of the organization has initiatives, and we’re about to do more going forward because we have to compete every day.”

Source: USPS