PLASKETT PROVIDES CRITICAL UPDATE ON USPS ISSUE OF UNTIMELY PACKAGE DELIVERY

For Immediate Release Contact: Tionee Scotland
October 30, 2024 202-808-6129

PRESS RELEASE

PLASKETT PROVIDES CRITICAL UPDATE ON USPS ISSUE OF UNTIMELY PACKAGE DELIVERY

Washington, D.C. - The office of Congresswoman Plaskett has held numerous meetings with United States Postal Service (USPS) regional leadership related to the exorbitant package delivery delays that continue to affect Virgin Islanders.

After a number of meetings with the leadership of USPS regarding the delays, we would like to share the following information which outlines the USPS process and proposed changes to rectify the issues we are facing:

Background:

- The estimated delivery service for Ground Advantage Service, Parcel Select, and Priority Mail that contains hazardous materials or non-standard dimensions to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands is 14 - 21 days. USPS indicated this timeframe is not guaranteed based on several factors, including origin and destination zip codes, package volume, and weather. Amazon recently changed their shipping from Ground Advantage to Parcel Select. Prior to this change, Amazon planes would fly into San Juan and the packages would be distributed and delivered from San Juan via air. Due to the Parcel Select change, once the St. Thomas/St. John and St. Croix packages were scanned and banded, FAA regulations prohibit the packages from being sent by air, as this designation requires transport via surface mail. Consequently, several packages were in the process of being re-routed back to Jacksonville since there has not been mail barge service between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Intervention:

- As a direct result of Congresswoman Plaskett's intervention and persistence, USPS has agreed to not send the packages back to Jacksonville to go through the process again but to retain the parcel select packages from Amazon and other packages that could not be shipped by plane, and those packages are NOW being held in a holding facility in Puerto Rico. Effective Saturday, November 2^nd, 2024, the packages will be barged from Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands. The barge will leave Puerto Rico early in the morning on Saturday, November 2^nd, 2024. Packages will be off loaded in St. Thomas first and then the barge will continue over to St. Croix. The barge will travel with packages to the Virgin Islands every Saturday.

- Regular Priority mail and Ground Advantage packages that are not mislabeled due to the robotic labeling issue will continue to be flown or barged from Jacksonville to St. Thomas and St. Croix without delays.

Congresswoman Plaskett shared, "My team and I realize that this USPS issue impacts a myriad of people in our community-businessowners awaiting their products, individuals who need prescriptions, and so many others. I would like to thank the USPS employees for their tireless work to ensure that we are able to get our mail despite the various delays with the system, and I would also like to thank all the individuals that called in and/or sent in their USPS complaints. My team and I will continue to advocate on behalf of our territory to ensure that this issue and others like it with USPS are resolved as quickly as possible."

To report a USPS complaint for our office's records, please contact our offices at 340-778-5900 or 340-774-4408.

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